BJP wants to instal govt, but against midterm polls

The BJP’s agenda is to make sure it forms the government in the state, the saffron party’s general secretary in-charge of Karnataka P Muralidhar Rao said on Saturday.

However, Rao said the BJP would oppose any attempt by the Congress-JD(S) coalition to "impose" a mid-term election on the people of the state.

"After winning 105 seats, we aren’t in power, but those with just 38 are running the government. This is an illegitimate mandate. So, the BJP will leave no stone unturned to free the state from this government. This is our agenda and it’s only natural. It’s our mandate to instal a BJP government," Rao said, while launching the party’s 'Saath Aaye, Desh Banaye’ membership drive.

The coalition government, Rao said, was threatening legislators with mid-term polls if they do not fall in line. "You can’t go for a mid-term election. You don’t have the right to. People aren’t ready. The BJP will oppose such blackmail politics," he said. "The BJP will make sure the coalition government doesn’t rest or sleep."

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda stirred the political cauldron on Friday when he said mid-term polls were imminent. Gowda, however, took a u-turn, but by then the feathers of the coalition had been ruffled.

"This government won’t last long," BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said, adding that development works had come to a standstill. He dared Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to resign if he cannot deliver. "We are 105 MLAs and over 20 MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) coalition are disgruntled. If you don’t have the capacity to run the show, resign and go home. We will run the show. Voters will not accept another election just after 13 months,” he said.