Cong changes tack, won’t push for Prez Rule
Changing its strategy on Karnataka crisis, the Congress on Tuesday hinted that the party was disinclined towards pressing for President’s Rule in the state and instead claimed that the BJP government would crumble under its own weight.
Most of the party leaders who were favouring Central rule in the state till Monday late evening after the controversial floor test in the Assembly on Monday have now decided to change their tune following governor H.R. Bhardwaj asking chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to go in for a second trust vote on October 14.
Claiming that any move to impose President’s Rule in the state would make Mr Yeddyurappa a “martyr”, senior leaders in the party, on the condition of anonymity, said the Congress would not like to be blamed for any toppling game. “This would give ammunition to BJP to browbeat us in the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. Why should we give them the opportunity, when we are sure that the BJP government will crumble under its own weight?” they said.
The top leadership of the party, which met on Monday to take stock of the Karnataka situation, weighed the option of invoking Article 356 in the state, but realised that the UPA did not have majority in the Rajya Sabha and the parties like the Left and DMK have reservations on the use of the constitutional provision, a senior leader informed.
Earlier in the morning, AICC general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Ghulam Nabi Azad and law minister M. Veerappa Moily met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to once again discuss the Karnataka issue.
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna, who is also a former chief minister of Karnataka, expressed his deep disappointment. “It is a blot on the face of Karnataka. I am deeply disappointed and pained,” he said.
Meanwhile, AICC general secretary B.K. Hariprasad, who is from Karnataka, even went to say that there was no possibility of the Congress forming any alternative government in alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) headed by H.D. Deve Gowda. Mr Gowda’s son and party MP H.D. Kumaraswamy has taken the lead in opposing the BJP government in the state.
“As far as an alliance with the JD(S) is concerned, no loyal Congressman will accept it. Congressmen will not like to align with any communal or casteist party,” Mr Hariprasad said.
Party spokesperson Mohan Prakash accused the BJP of attacking the governor unnecessarily to divert attention from the main issues.
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