In a spirited hour-long speech in the Assembly before he lost his trust vote, Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said he was never involved in any scam and did not claim any government privileges because of the state's financial position.
"Can any leader prove I was involved in a scam? Show me the proof. I have tried to work in very difficult circumstances. Nobody can accuse my government of not working for people," he said winding up the debate on the confidence motion moved by him in the Assembly. "I do not have a government car. I have not claimed my TA and DA," he added.
Kumaraswamy said that the BJP MLA K Gopaliah has fooled him. "Some murder took place in Gopaliah's family. He demanded my protection in it. I have never indulged in illegal activities. He claimed I didn't give him protection in a murder case. Do you want to see the CCTV footage of what transpired at the airport and whose flight they took to Mumbai?" he said.
The Chief Minister also said Bopaiah was misused by everyone during his tenure as speaker of the Assembly. "Bopaiah, your name was taken several times. That is because you were being misused by everyone during your tenure."
Kumaraswamy also said he never wanted to join politics and even his wife put a condition to not marry a politician, adding that it was UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi who extended support to him to form the government in the state.
"I wanted to stay away from politics even though I come from a political family. When I married my wife she put a condition that she will not marry a politician, but now she is also in this house," he said. "Sonia Gandhi had called him and extended support to form the government in the state," he added.
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Hailing the confidence motion as the most unique session he said: "In the backdrop of all the developments taking place on the house, the opposition is not participating in the debate."
"After the session began for the confidence motion, all my colleagues, DCM, CLP leaders and others have put forth their opinion. I will not be speaking on the tenth schedule, anti-defection law and other legal aspects," he said.
He said he is not worried accepting he has committed a few mistakes in life and has done some good as well.
Targeting BS Yeddyurappa for calling Congress-JDS alliance 'unholy' several times, he said that BJP state unit chief Yeddyurappa should be reminded that nobody got the majority in the last assembly elections.
"I am from the film industry, I was a film producer. I am talking about this because the opposition leader, who hasn't spoken here at all, has behaved very differently in the past. Yeddyurappa has said that Deve Gowda (Kumarswamy's father) is the reason for this government's fall. Please do not talk about him, speak about us because we have made mistakes. I am not saying this because he is my father."
Just before the beginning of 'vote of confidence' procedure in the Assembly, Karnataka Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar said that he is carrying his resignation in his pocket.
"I have my resignation letter in my pocket. I will resign if the session does not go as I ordered yesterday," he said.