District In-charge Minister Bandeppa Kashempur said that the JD(S) would talk on transfer of power in Bidar Zilla Panchayat only if BJP helps it to defeat the no-confidence motion scheduled on Monday.
Talking to reporters here on Sunday, he added that the State’s BJP high command had been informed about the stand of JD(S) on this matter.
Background
Seventeen months ago BJP-JD(S) coalition came to power in the Bidar Zilla Panchayat. They agreed to share power for 10 months each with a JD(S) candidate as president and a BJP candidate as vice-president.
Six months into the coalition, some BJP members joined hands with Congress members, moved a no-confidence motion and pulled down the coalition.
With no alternatives emerging, the very same people who engineered the downfall of the coalition, again agreed to let the same JD(S) and BJP candidates to continue in power. About three months were lost in these turn of events.
After the reinstatement, JD(S) was given an additional three months in power. When it was time for JD(S) to transfer power it began to delay.
Now with only three months remaining before the 20-month period expires, BJP and Congress members have again moved a no-confidence motion.
Kashempur asked why the BJP high command was silent though BJP members had joined forces with Congress members twice and moved no-confidence motions. He asked BJP to first end groupism in its ranks. Local BJP readers were in no mood to listen to their high command, he fumed.
He claimed that JD(S) president was ready to resign any moment, but JD(S) would first want BJP members to help it defeat the no-confidence motion.
Talks were on with JD(S) high command about the situation in ZP, he said.
Vice president resigns
According to orders from BJP high command ZP vice-president Jyothicharan Rathod submitted his resignation on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how the no-confidence motion pans out on Monday.