Will Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's direction to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to prove his government's majority on Friday by 1.30pm end the deadlock in the Karnataka Assembly or trigger fresh crises?
Late on Thursday evening, Vala reminded the chief minister that it was clear that his government no longer enjoyed the confidence of the House as 15 rebel MLAs who resigned had also sent him a plea. And two independents had given Vala a letter stating withdrawal of their support to the coalition.
Vala placed on record that his earlier direction to the speaker advising conclusion of the vote of confidence the same day had been dishonoured by adjourning the House till 11am on Friday.
The House turned chaotic during the confidence motion over the issue of the Supreme Court's interim order. The Supreme Court upheld the powers of the speaker by allowing him to decide on the resignations of the 15 rebel lawmakers. At the same time, the Supreme Court had given the rebels exemption from attending the House, thereby negating the threat of disqualification.
On Thursday, when CLP leader Siddaramaiah raised a point of order even as Kumaraswamy was submitting the confidence motion, the BJP objected to it, saying the ruling combine was tactfully trying to evade a trust vote. Siddaramaiah alleged the Supreme Court's interim order had infringed upon the rights of a political party to issue a whip to its members.
The other Congress members and the speaker seconded the fact and decided to seek legal advice from the advocate general, stating the House structure was incomplete as the status of the rebel MLAs as members was ambiguous. The BJP urged the speaker to take up discussion on the vote of confidence rather than wasting time on non-issues, and reminded the House that the Congress should be petitioning the Supreme Court if it needed further clarity on the interim order.
A distraught BJP approached the governor alleging the ruling combine was delaying the trust vote though it no longer had the majority. The speaker informed the House that the governor had advised that the vote of confidence be completed by the end of the day. However, the speaker abstained from giving a ruling over the governor's message too.
Meanwhile, high drama prevailed in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday, after the Congress MLAs alleged one of their members had been kidnapped by the BJP and admitted to a Mumbai hospital.
Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar displayed photographs of Kagawada MLA Shrimant Patil on a hospital bed and appealed to the speaker to provide security to his party's MLAs. Shrimant Patil, who was holed up in a Bengaluru resort along with other party MLAs ahead of the trust vote, went missing on Wednesday night.
The Congress claimed Patil, who is supposed to be unwell, had travelled all the way from Bengaluru to Mumbai via Chennai before his hospitalisation and that he was accompanied by a former BJP minister, Lakshman Savadi, on the flight.
The speaker directed the home minister to inquire about Patil's whereabouts with his family members.
When the House turned chaotic after the Congress members once again showed photographs of "missing MLAs", it was adjourned for the day by Deputy Speaker Krishna Reddy.
Even as the Congress members argued the governor had no authority to give directions to the House when it was in session and that the speaker was the sole custodian of the House, the BJP decided to stage a night-long dharna inside the Assembly to protest against the "conspiracy" of the ruling parties to derail the vote of confidence.
Leader of the opposition B.S. Yeddyurappa recalled the events that led to the deadlock, saying, "When the speaker allowed the chief minister to move confidence motion, we did not insist on moving the no-confidence motion. But today, after moving the motion, unnecessary point was raised and they wasted time. Congress and the JD(S) had only 98 members in the House and BJP had 105. So, they did not allow the proceedings. It is mockery of democracy.”
Yeddyurappa hit back at Siddaramaiah, saying he was free to issue a whip to the rebels. “Siddaramaiah admitted the coalition had no majority in the absence of the 15 rebels. The people of the state and also the Supreme Court is watching all these developments,” he said.
Yeddyurappa accused the government of indulging in rampant corruption. "Last four-five months, the government is indulging in transfer scam and no development work is taking place. The urgency shown in clearing projects and files in the last few weeks by this government was not seen in moving the confidence motion. The last cabinet meeting had 136 subjects listed and after governor's intervention, it was brought down to 15. We will not tolerate this 'Tuglaq' rule. They are looting the state. CM should immediately resign,” demanded Yeddyurappa.
BJP MLA J Madhuswamy slammed the Congress party for "casting aspersions" on both the Supreme Court and the governor. "When Yeddyurappa was given 15 days to prove majority, the Congress rushed to the Supreme Court at midnight and got an order to conduct a trust vote within 24 hours. Now, the speaker's counsel told the Supreme Court he would decide the resignations within two days. If the House structure is incomplete, it is because the speaker has not taken a call on the resignations."
Madhuswamy also contended there was no provision in law to raise a point of order in confidence motion. "Siddaramaiah said his right was infringed. It is a case of privilege and needs to be taken up later. When confidence motion is moved, there is no scope for point of order. When a CM is speaking, how can a ruling party member raise point of order? It is only a delaying tactic to save the government,” Madhuswamy argued.
