Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa on Friday rejected Opposition`s charge that BJP was
engaged in luring MLAs of Congress and JDS into quitting their
Assembly seats.
A JDS MLA abstained from the vote of confidence and
later resigned from his seat, while two belonging to the
Congress quit this week, moves the opposition allege are clear
cases of "horse-trading" by BJP to save its government.
The Opposition alleged the BJP has been "pursuing"
Opposition MLAs to quit their seats as it would enable the
ruling party to shore up its numbers, should the Speaker`s
order disqualifying 11 rebel BJP MLAs and five independents is
set aside by court.
When his reaction was sought, Yeddyurappa insisted
that the BJP is not encouraging the Opposition members to
resign their seats nor is it interested in them doing so.
"If they (the three Opposition MLAs) want to leave
their party, in what way am I concerned; in what way am I
responsible," Yeddyurappa asked.
On JDS releasing a CD yesterday containing a purported
conversation in which a BJP MLA tries to lure a JDS MLA,
Yeddyurappa sought to hit back at JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy
who held a press conference in this context.
"There is no need for us to take advice or lessons
from those who took 11 BJP MLAs to Chennai and Goa and put
them in captivity in a way, along with Goa ministers, and did
all kinds of things (seeking to topple his government),"
Yeddyurappa said.
A single new judge of the Karnataka High Court has
reserved orders on petitions by the rebel BJP MLAs challenging
their disqualification by the Speaker after they withdrew
support to the Yeddyurappa government.
A Division Bench had earlier given a split verdict on
the issue and referred the matter to a third judge.
Yeddyurappa, heading the first saffron government in
the south, has been facing uncertainty ever since the
withdrawal of support by the rebel MLAs. He won the second
vote of confidence on October 14 after the first one by voice
vote on October 11 was dubbed unconstitutional by Governor H R
Bhardwaj.
PTI
