PM discusses Karnataka with Cabinet colleagues from state, PC

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday deliberated with his Cabinet colleagues from Karnataka the political situation in the state against the backdrop of the controversial trust vote secured by the BS Yeddyurappa government.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Tuesday deliberated with his Cabinet colleagues from Karnataka
the political situation in the state against the backdrop of
the controversial trust vote secured by the B S Yeddyurappa
government.

Home Minister P Chidambaram was also present during the
20-minute parleys in which Union Ministers S M Krishna,
Mallikarjun Kharge and M Veerappa Moily participated.
While Krishna and Moily are former Chief Ministers of
the state, Kharge is a former PCC chief.

The issue of fresh offer by Governor H R Bhardwaj to the
Chief Minister to seek a vote of confidence and its acceptance
by the latter came up for discussion during the deliberations
held soon after the meeting of the Union Cabinet, sources
said. The Karnataka issue, however, did not come up at the
meeting of the Union Cabinet.

Congress appears to be disinclined towards pressing for
imposition of Central rule in Karnataka. Party leaders, who
have been favouring a spell of President`s Rule in the state
after yesterday`s controversial trust vote in the Assembly,
have now started singing a different tune.

The leaders speaking on the condition of anonymity are
now insisting that the party will not like to be blamed for
any toppling game and feel that the BJP government in the
state will fall due to "internal dissensions".

A senior leader said that there could also be difficulty
in ratifying President`s Rule given the fact that UPA does not
have majority in the Rajya Sabha and parties like the Left and
DMK have reservations on the use of Article 356.
AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad even went to the
extent of ruling out the possibility of the Congress forming
any alternative government in alliance with Janata Dal-Secular
headed by H D Deve Gowda, which has taken the lead against the
BJP government in the state.

Congress in Karnataka is divided in two camps -- those
who have started their politics from Congress and others who
have joined the party from the erstwhile Janata Parivar
including the JD-S.

The latter is reportedly in favour of a tie-up with JD-S
to form an alternative government in the state if the BJP
government falls there.

In the morning, AICC General Secretary in-charge for
Karnataka Ghulam Nabi Azad and Law Minister M Veerappa Moily
met party President Sonia Gandhi to discuss the Karnataka
issue.

PTI

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