Even as the uncertainty deepens over the future of the coalition government in Karnataka, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah were behind the political crisis in the state.
Siddaramaiah's comment came hours after two more Congress MLAs resigned from the state assembly taking the number of disgruntled legislators who have put in their papers to 16.
On Wednesday, Chikballapur MLA K. Sudhakar and Hoskote MLA and Housing Minister M.T.B. Nagaraj handed over their resignation letters to Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
Of the 16 MLAs who have resigned so far, 13 are from Congress and three from JD(S).
“What made BJP people do rowdyism like that? BJP MLAs and workers are rowdies. I condemn it. It is quiet evident that BJP leaders, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi, are behind all this. They are defecting and threatening our MLAs,” Siddaramaiah said.
The former chief minister said as a leader of the Congress Legislature Party, he was trying to convince Sudhakar and claimed that the latter continued to be a member of the Congress party as long as his resignation was not accepted.
“Sudhakar is not a BJP MLA or BJP worker, just because he has resigned, it doesn't mean he is a BJP MLA,” Siddaramaiah added.
Meanwhile, a meeting of Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, K.C. Venugopal, Mallikarjun Kharge, G. Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Eshwara Khandre and others is underway following the resignation of two more MLAs on Wednesday.
The ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition faces the threat of losing its majority if the resignations of the rebel MLAs are accepted.
