Congress makes all-out efforts to reach out to rebel MLAs

Bengaluru, Jul 20: With the Confidence motion tabled in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly is expected to reach to its finality on Monday, the Congress leaders are making an all-out efforts to reach out to the rebel MLAs, who are staying outside the State, since last one week.

According to party sources, former Chief Minister and Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiha, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal and KPCC President Dinesh Gundurao are trying to establish contact with the rebel Congress MLAs and convince them to return to the party fold.

The Congress leaders are hopeful that among the 15 rebel MLAs, who are staying in Maharashtra, three from the Congress and one from the JD(S) may change their mind and save the 14-month-old JDS-Congress coalition government which had moved Confidence motion in the Karnataka Assembly.

The Congress leaders, who are jubilant after winning back the 7-time-Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy, who had withdrawn his resignation following the intervention of the senior party leaders, are hoping that three of Reddy’s followers, including Munirathna, S T Somashekhar, Byrathi Basavaraju and the JD(S) rebel MLA Gopalaiah would also fall in line and rescue the coalition government.

According to party sources, the Rebel MLAs, had splint into two groups, while one group led by JD(S) MLA, H Vishwanath staying in Pune the other group led by S T Somashekhar, and others staying in a posh resort in Lonavala in Maharashtra.

The Congress leaders, while trying to establish contact with the rebel MLAs, are also holding meeting with the MLAs, kept in a resort and keeping a vigil against any possibilities of luring away by the BJP leaders, sources added.