No plot to impose President's rule in Karnataka: Joshi

Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi has refuted the allegations that the BJP was conspiring to impose President’s rule in the state.

“Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and company is expert in creating negative precedents. They themselves decided to go for confidence motion, but are dragging
it for five days, without showing respect to the Constitution,” Joshi said. He was speaking to reporters here on Saturday.

Joshi said that if the Governor were to be partisan, he could have asked the chief minister to prove the majority or dissolve the Assembly at the time when the MLAs submitted their resignations to him (Governor) also. He added that there was no question of the Centre interfering in Karnataka’s political turmoil.

The Union minister said that it was unfortunate that Speaker Ramesh Kumar gave five-day time to the government to prove its majority.

Describing as baseless the allegations that BJP offered money to JD(S) and Congress MLAs, Joshi said that it that were the case, both the parties shoud have lodged a complaint. “The Congress and JD(S) have no control over their MLAs, and are unnecessarily blaming the BJP,” he said.

Joshi also stated that some anti-social elements were involved in mob lynching incidents in recent days with the objective of tarnishing the image of the Union government. “No worker of Hindu organisation or BJP can behave like that and engage in violence. Respective state governments are investigating mob lynching cases.”

“Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Azam Khan from Uttar Pradesh is irresponsible and communal, and therefore he says that Muslims are living a pitful life in the country since independence. If he is so fond of Pakistan, and wants to go there, let him go,” Joshi said.