Amid scenes of pandemonium, Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Monday "won" a vote of confidence in the Assembly under a cloud after the speaker disqualified 16 MLAs, including 11 of BJP, hours before the trial of strength.
High drama marked the proceedings when speaker K.G. Bopaiah declared the motion of confidence passed by a voice vote. The opposition vowed to challenge the speaker's ruling disqualifying 11 BJP MLAs and five independents early in the morning, disregarding governor H.R. Bhardwaj’s directive on Sunday night not to change the status quo in regard to the party's strength as on October 6 before the rebels withdrew support reducing the government to a minority.
In Delhi, Union home ministry sources expressed concern over the "abuse" of the anti-defection law by the speaker when he disqualified 16 MLAs. Amidst slogan shouting by opposition Congress and JDS members, Mr Yeddyurappa moved a one-line motion which said "this House expresses confidence in the government led by me".
The speaker, braving the Opposition members who had gathered around his chair and protesting, declared that the motion of confidence has been passed by "voice vote" with the support of 106 BJP members.
As the House plunged into further uproar, Bopaiah adjourned the House sine die. Earlier, the House witnessed high drama with opposition members breaking the police cordon and entering into the House and marshals struggling to evict five independents — P.M. Narendra Swamy, Goolihatti Sekhar, Shivaraj Tangadagi and Venkataramanappa —from the House.
Several Opposition members stormed the speaker's podium and questioned his conducting of business. In a breach of rules, the police along with city police commissioner Shankar Bidari entered the House.
Opposition Congress and JDS have decided to call on the governor seeking his intervention. The Congress said it would parade their MLAs and also the rebels before the governor.
Commenting on the Karnataka Assembly speaker's decision to disqualify rebel MLAs, Union home ministry sources said the "abuse" of the anti-defection law was more so in the case of disqualification of independents.
They said the 10th schedule does not apply to independents and, therefore, there is no question of their disqualification. Even in the case of dissident BJP MLAs, the sources said disqualification can only be on two grounds — one if the MLA resign from the party voluntarily and two if he votes against the whip. Therefore, there is no question of disqualification of the BJP MLAs before the vote, the sources said.