'Seek trust vote or step down', BSY tells Kumaraswamy

The BJP leaders were upbeat on Sunday even as hectic political activities were on. They seemed enthusiastic as situation seemed to turn in their favour once rebel MLA MTB Nagaraj flew to Mumbai making a U turn.

State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa’s Dollars Colony was flooded with leaders after Nagaraj left Bengaluru.

Karnataka LIVE | I will request CM H D Kumaraswamy to resign immediately: B S Yeddyurappa

MP Shobha Karandlaje, MLAs J C Madhuswamy and C T Ravi had a detailed discussion with Yeddyurappa about their party’s next moves.

The saffron party leaders claimed that about three more Congress legislators might resign on Monday. The number would go up if the Supreme Court’s order went in favour of rebel MLAs.

Before leaving for Ramada resort to meet his legislators, a visibly happy Yeddyurappa exuded confidence that the BJP would soon form the government.

“The Coalition government has been reduced to minority. If H D Kumaraswamy has least respect for Chief Minister’s position, he should step down without delay,” Yeddyurappa urged while speaking to reporters.

He said that over 15 MLAs had already resigned. The two Independent MLAs had withdrawn support to the government. He didn’t know what made Kumaraswamy confident enough to claim that he would save the government.

“Kumaraswamy knows that the government is on the verge of collapse. Any amount of efforts won’t help now. Hence, he is plotting conspiracies to mislead legislators,” Yeddyurappa charged

He said that he would advise the Speaker at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Monday to allow Kumaraswamy to move the trust vote and conduct the floor test on the same day to prove if he had the majority in the House.

“Either he should seek a trust vote on Monday or step down,” he said. The BJP wanted proceedings to be conducted peacefully in the Assembly, he clarified.

Yeddyurappa spoke to the legislators at the resort and said that the government would collapse in three days.

Speaking to media outside the resort, he categorically denied reports that Belgaum Rural constituency Congress MLA Laxmi R Hebbalkar would resign on Monday and join the BJP,

“Am I mentally ill to welcome Hebbalkar to the BJP? Hebbalkar is the epicentre of rebellion in the Congress. There is no question of welcoming her to the BJP,” he said.

She never expressed willingness to join the BJP. A section of the media was unnecessarily referring her name. She would never join the BJP, he said.