By IANS,
Bangalore : Beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will move a confidence motion Oct 11 in the state assembly to prove his majority after the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in this southern state faced a revolt from 19 rebel legislators.
“I have requested Governor H.R. Bhardwaj to convene the assembly session Monday (Oct 11) at 10 a.m. I am confident of proving majority on the floor of the house,” an unfazed Yeddyurappa told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
The chief minister called on the governor Wednesday evening after the latter directed him to prove that he enjoyed the confidence of the house by 5 p.m. on Oct 12 after the legislators withdrew support.
On a day of swift political developments, the 29-month-old BJP ministry was reduced to minority (103) from 117 in the 225-member assembly after 19 lawmakers, including 14 from the ruling party, submitted a joint letter to the governor withdrawing support to the government and expressing lack of confidence in Yeddyurappa.
Of the 19 legislators, five are Independents, including four ministers who were sacked by Yeddyurappa within minutes after the joint letter was submitted to the governor in Raj Bhavan in the presence of some Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leaders.
The four ministers are Shivaraj S. Tangadagi (agriculture marketing and small scale industries), Venkataramanappa (textile and sericulture), P.M Narendra Swamy (social welfare) and D. Sudhakar (youth services and prisons).
Of the 14 BJP rebels withdrawing support, three are ministers — M.P. Renukacharya (excise), Anand Asnotikar (fisheries) and Balachandra Jarkiholi (municipalities & local bodies).
The decision to sack the four ministers was taken at an emergency cabinet meeting Yeddyurappa convened to quell the revolt.
By late Wednesday, however, two BJP dissident legislators – B.P. Harish and D.G. Patil – returned to the Yeddyurappa fold, expressing confidence in the chief minister.
“We met the governor in the evening and conveyed to him that we are with Yeddyurappa. Our signatures were taken in Chennai late Tuesday for some other reason and not for the joint letter,” Harish told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
Echoing Harish, Patil said he too went to Chennai to convince the rebels against precipitating the crisis, as the people in the state voted the party to power and they should not betray their faith in them.
Of the six Independents who extended support to the ruling party after the assembly elections in May 2008 to form the government, five of them were inducted into the 34-member Yeddyurappa ministry.
In the 225-member state assembly, including one nominated member, the BJP won 110 seats, Congress 80 and JD-S 28 and six by Independents.
As the BJP fell short of three seats to cross the halfway majority (113), five independents were rewarded with ministerial berths for their support in forming the government and proving majority on the floor of the house.
Though independent lawmaker Varthur Prakash withdrew support subsequently, another Independent – Goolihatti Shekar, who became minister for youth and sport services, was dropped from the ministry Sep 22 along with two BJP ministers – higher education minister Aravind Limbavali and adult education minister Shivanagouda Naik.
This is the second time the BJP government is facing a crisis of survival a year after the powerful Reddy brothers in the ministry revolted against Yeddyurappa and sought a change in leadership.
The brothers from the rich iron ore mining Bellary district in north Karnataka are Infrastructure and Tourism Minister G. Janardhana Reddy and Revenue Minister G. Karunakara Reddy.
The previous political crisis was, however, diffused with the intervention of the ruling party’s high command and opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, whom the Reddy brothers consider as their ‘thaayi’ (mother).
With the BJP winning majority of the by-elections that were held during the last two years, it improved its strength in the lower house to 117 from 110 in May 2008, while the Congress strength reduced to 73 as against 80 in 2008.