Allow BJP to form govt, says former Speaker Koliwad

Former Speaker and Congress leader K B Koliwad has said that BJP should be allowed to form government in the state.

"Congress may not be in this plight if it had not entered into a pact with JD(S). I had opposed coalition even when Dharam Singh was the chief minister and had expressed similar opinion this time too. Let us allow BJP to form government and we will sit in opposition. Only then Congress has future," Koliwad told reporters here on Wednesday.

He said that the Congress would have secured at least 10 seats in the Lok Sabha elections if it had not entered into a pact with JD(S). "We should win people's confidence with absolute majority."

Koliwad said that the Speaker can reject resignations only in two cases - one, if it is not according to prescribed format and secondly, if the resignation is not voluntary.

Reacting to Minister D K Shivakumar travelling to Mumbai to bring back rebel MLAs, Koliwad said that the rebel MLAs had been elected by lakhs of people and they have a right to decide their course of action.