By IANS
Bangalore : President’s rule appeared imminent in Karnataka Monday with the Congress refusing to prop H.D. Kumaraswamy’s minority ministry and conveying to the governor in writing that it would not back him in a floor test in the assembly.
A Congress delegation led by Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and state in-charge Prithviraj Chavan met Governor Rameshwar Thakur to present the party’s stand and submit a letter written by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Options for Kumaraswamy narrowed further with the Congress also giving Thakur individual letters from its 65 members in the house, stating that they will not support any government other than the one formed by their party.
This sealed Kumaraswamy’s fate as he has only 51 legislators with him while the erstwhile partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 79. Smaller parties and independents account for the remaining seats.
“The governor has been apprised of our position. We will not be extending support to the Kumaraswamy government, which has lost majority following the withdrawal of support by its coalition partner (BJP). He has no right to continue,” Chavan said after an hour-long meeting during which the Congress demanded that the state be brought under President’s rule immediately.
“It is now for the governor to decide,” Chavan said.
A short while later, the governor summoned Kumaraswamy to the Raj Bhavan to ascertain the stand of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), left without the support of the BJP that formally backed out Sunday after he refused to hand over the chief minister’s chair Oct 3.
Kumaraswamy rushed to the governor’s residence with party leaders and pleaded for an opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly, citing the apex court ruling that a ministry’s support should not be decided in Raj Bhavan.
The governor has consulted constitutional experts on the course open to him.
At a cabinet meeting Friday, Kumaraswamy had decided to convene the state assembly Oct 18, ostensibly to prove he enjoys the confidence of the lower house even after the BJP withdrew support to his 20-month government.