Hectic parleys in Goa to bring back BJP rebels

The marathon parleys between the rebels and BJP leaders from Karnataka and Goa went into the night at the star resort, about 50 km from Panaji, even as pressure mounted on them to fall in line with Karnataka Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah today serving notices to 11 dissidents.

The 11 rebels, who were among the 14 BJP legislators along with five Independents who withdrew support to the Yeddyurappa government reducing it to a minority, were asked to explain why they cannot be disqualified under the anti- defection law on charge of indulging in anti-party activities. Three BJP rebels have reportedly come back to the party fold.

The move came even as BJP's interlocutors with the rebels including former Goa chief minister  Manohar Parrikar and Karnataka Tourism minister and mining  magnate G Janardhana Reddy held marathon talks with dissidents holed up in the resort.
Parrikar claimed that the Karnataka government crisis will blow over by tomorrow.
"It's dispute within the party and it will be resolved by tomorrow," Parrikar told reporters in Panaji.

The Speaker's move to proceed against the rebels following a complaint by Yeddyurappa was considered as a pressure tactic by the BJP to quell dissidence to save the first saffron govenment in the South.

Assembly Secretary S B Patil said in Bangalore that the MLAs on whom the notice has been issued have to meet the Speaker before October 10 by five pm and tender their explanation, a day before Yeddyurappa would seek a confidence vote on the direction of Governor H R Bhardwaj.

Excise Minister M P Renukacharya, the legislator who is spearheading the dissident campaign and who last night signalled that the crisis may be over, was among the MLAs who got the notice. He had said the government is stable and there is no threat to it and that the rebels will be returning to Bangalore today.

Yeddyurappa on his part said he was "100 per cent sure" that he will win the confidence vote in the state Assembly on October 11. He was confident that the Congress will not support JD-S's efforts to woo the BJP rebels to its fold in the attempt to form another government.

Opposition JD(S) was also making efforts to woo the rebels to its camp with former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy camping in the same hotel where they are lodged and reportedly trying to stop their return back to the BJP.

"I have come here to take resort," Kumaraswamy quipped, when asked what was he doing the hotel where the BJP rebels car camping. Asked by a reproter whether the BJP government will survive, he said "Wait for the next three days. Everything will be clear. Don't get excited."

Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, who has often been at loggerheads with the 28-month-old BJP government, said he was sending reports to President Pratibha Patil every day on the political developments in the state."Everyday I am sending reports on every minutest detail to the President on the developments in Karnataka," Bharadwaj said