'Ready to obey K'taka guv's constitutional direction'

Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizer D V Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday said the BJP is ready to obey the Karnataka governor's any constitutional direction, including a floor-test as the coalition government is on the brink of collapsing.

"Their (JD(S)-Congress) number has come down to 102. We are 107. I think 51 is 100 and 49 is zero as far as democracy is concerned. Certainly, we are on the right track," Gowda, a senior BJP leader, told reporters on the sidelines of a fertiliser ministry's event here.

Asked if the party is ready for a floor-test, he said, "It is the prerogative power of the Governor to issue a direction to have a floor test. Any constitutional direction given by the governor, we are certainly prepared to obey it."

Asserting that the BJP was not destabilising the Karnataka Government, he said, "If they are not able to keep their house in order, why should they blame us? It is the responsibility of the Congress and the JDS to keep their MLAs together."

BJP has 105 MLAs in Karnataka. "All are together and no one is going outside," he said.