Congress, JDS try to woo rebels by offering ministerial berths

Bengaluru, Jul 8: In a last-ditch bid to save the coalition government in Karnataka, which is floundering after the resignation of 10 Congress and three JD(S) MLAs, leaders of both the parties made frantic efforts to reach out to the rebels on Sunday, offering to make most of them ministers and promising “generous funds” to their constituencies. The rebels, however, rejected the offer.

Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, who returned to Bengaluru on Sunday evening from a personal trip to the US, is all set to call an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday where he is expected to seek the resignation of a few ministers to make way for the rebels. Water resources minister and Congress strongman DK Shivakumar declared himself the first volunteer: “I am ready to resign if that will save this government.”

Ten of the disgruntled MLAs, who have checked into a luxury hotel in Mumbai since Saturday evening, rejected the offer outright. They said the remaining three MLAs too would join them on Monday and there was no question of going back on their decision. One of the rebels, Prathap Gouda Patil, said the future course “was clear”, all 13 MLAs would join BJP.

With Speaker KR Ramesh scheduled to take up the resignations on Tuesday, Congress moved to lay down the legal line. Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Tuesday at 9.30 am and a whip is likely to be issued to all MLAs, including the rebels. The move was to trap the rebels legally so their defiance would have consequences, a Congress MLA said. “Strict action will be taken against MLAs who do not attend the meeting,” Siddaramaiah warned in a letter sent to all party MLAs. JD(S) is also likely to call a legislature party meeting soon.

Both parties are expected to pack off their MLAs to resorts after the meetings to prevent poaching attempt by BJP. The saffron party, on the other hand, is calling its legislature party meeting at 5 pm on Monday at a five-star hotel near Yelahanka. BJP is believed to have booked 30 rooms for its 105 MLAs, who might be asked to stay put there for a few days to ward off any “counter-poaching” attempts.

BJP, however, maintained that it had no role to play in the current crisis. “We are not going to meet the governor. We will wait for the speaker’s decision on Tuesday,” state party president BS Yeddyurappa said.

Dismissing BJP’s claims, senior Congressman Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Most of the rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs have not gone to Mumbai of their own free will. Some of them are in touch with our MLAs and they will come back.” Accusing BJP of employing similar tactics in 10 other states, he said, “But for BJP, how could the rebel MLAs have arranged for a special flight to Mumbai? Do our rebels have so much money?”

Kharge, AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge KC Venugopal and party leaders Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara and MB Patil were huddled in a series of meetings on Sunday and decided to offer ministries to as many rebels as possible. They were also in constant touch with JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda. Kumaraswamy, who landed in the city around 8.30 pm, walked into a meeting with Congress leaders immediately thereafter.

Sources said more than persuading all the rebel MLAs camping in Mumbai, the coalition partners were focusing on winning back the four Bengaluru MLAs — ST Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraju, N Munirathna and Ramalinga Reddy — since their resignations were triggered by a grouse with deputy CM and Bengaluru development minister G Parameshwara. It was felt these MLAs were unlikely to walk into the BJP fold, sources added.

“The aim is to get the four MLAs to withdraw their resignations by Tuesday before the Speaker takes them up for consideration,” a senior Congress MLA said, adding that if that happened, the government would get some breathing space to shore up its numbers.

In Mumbai, rebel MLA BC Patil said, “We have come a long way and returning from here is not possible. Let them keep their ministerial berths with them.” “Since we have submitted our resignations, there is no question of attending the CLP meeting. We are 13 MLAs and we are all together. There is no question of going back on our decision,” said Somashekar.