Ten rebel Karnataka MLAs of Congress and JD(S), who submitted their resignations from the Assembly last week, on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court. The rebels alleged that Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar has been deliberately not accepting their resignations.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the rebel MLAs. The SC will hear the plea on Thursday.
The developments come as high drama ensued outside a hotel in Mumbai where the 10 rebels are staying. Senior Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar, who had been a minister in the H.D. Kumaraswamy government, was prevented from entering the premises of the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel in Powai.
Shivakumar, who was accompanied by senior JD(S) MLAs, told reporters that he had booked a room in the hotel but was not being permitted inside. On Tuesday midnight, 10 of the 12 MLAs put up in the luxury hotel in Powai wrote to Mumbai Police, saying they feared a threat to their lives, and asked that Shivakumar be prevented from entering the hotel.
The legislators in their letter said they don't want to meet Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy or Shivakumar and requested the city police not to allow them to enter the hotel promises. The letter had names and signatures of Shivram Hebbar, Pratap Gowda Patil, B.C. Patil, Byrati Basavraj, S.T. Somshekar, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Gopalaiyya, H. Vishwanath, Narayan Gowda and Mahesh Kumutali.
"We have received a letter from the rebel MLAs," a senior police official said. Shivakumar, the Congress troubleshooter, said he will not leave without meeting the MLAs. "I only have a heart that I have come to extend to my friends...politics is an art of possibility," he said.
There was a massive police presence outside the hotel where a group was seen shouting "Shivakumar go back".
Shivakumar said the police was telling him no room was booked in his name, but he insisted that he had booked a room in his name in the hotel.
"I am not afraid of slogans against me. Not being permitted inside because of security threat. I have a lot of respect for the Maharashtra government. I don't have weapons," he said.
Shivakumar wondered how could his presence be a threat to the rebel legislators. "How can I be a threat to the MLAs. We are friends. If the BJP is not involved, why so many policemen are here. I have a heart, and no weapons," he said.
On his arrival, Shivakumar said, "Let the Mumbai Police or any other force be deployed. We have come to meet our friends. We are born together in politics and will die together." He said if BJP leaders can meet rebel MLAs, why can't he.
"Mumbai has a good government. Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) is my good friend. I have booked a room here. My friends are here, some disputes are there, they are my friends... If BJP leaders can meet, why can't we meet," he asked.
Shivakumar noted that he had earlier played "host to 120 MLAs from Maharashtra when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the chief minister".
However, the rebel MLAs have refused to meet Shivakumar, saying he had taken a “political step” to come and meet them and appealed to him to return to Bengaluru. Jarkiholi alleged Shivakumar was staging a “drama” and declared Shivakumar was not a friend as he claimed to be. “The party had more than a year to lend an year to our grievances. Why do they want to talk to us now?” Jarkiholi asked.
Twelve MLAs— seven of the Congress, three of the JD(S) and two independents—are in Mumbai since Saturday after resigning from the Karnataka Assembly membership and withdrawing support to the state's coalition government.
(With inputs from PTI, Prathima Nandakumar)
