Congress to meet President, seek dismissal of Yediyurappa's Karnataka govt

The Congress will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and seek dismissal of the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government in Karnataka as it came to power by "unconstitutional" means, through defection of opposite party MLAs, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Thursday.

The Congress leader also hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he has "no right" to continue in the post.

"Despite holding the constitutional post, Home Minister and Chief Minister by supporting defection have defeated the purpose of the tenth schedule (anti-defection)," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

"So we will meet the President and bring all these things to his notice, and ask for the dismissal of Yediyurappa government. We will seek appointment (from the president) and go whenever we get," he added.

The resignation and absence of 14 Congress and three JD (S) MLAs during the trust vote had led to the collapse of the coalition government headed by Kumaraswamy and paved the way for the BJP to come to power in Karnataka.

Accusing the BJP leaders of causing the defection that led to the collapse of the elected government, Siddaramaiah said if 17 disqualified MLAs had not resigned because of inducement, the government wouldn't have fallen.

He claimed that there was evidence to state that BJP leaders engineered defection through allurements.

"Narayana Gowda (JDS disqualified MLA from K R Pet) has said he was promised Rs 1,000 crore for the development of his KR Pet constituency, is it not an inducement? MLA Srinivas Gowda has said he was offered Rs 5 crore at his home."

Yediyurappa has admitted that it was his voice in an audio clip in which he can be heard luring a legislator's son in Devadurga, the congress leader alleged.

"They (BJP) have indulged in horse trading, defection. They have gone against the constitution and have defeated the purpose tenth schedule (antidefection)," he said.

Siddaramaiah made these comments while referring to a recent leaked audio clip of Yediyurappa purportedly expressing anguish against his party leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs for the December 5 Assembly bypolls in 15 constituencies.

In the audio, Yediyurappa is purportedly heard saying the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under BJP president Amit Shah's watch.

Armed with the clip, Congress had approached the Supreme Court, which is hearing the petition of disqualified MLAs, challenging their disqualification.

The top Court had however, refused to pass order on the request of Karnataka Congress on the fresh clip, stating since it has already reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, filed by the MLAs challenging the decision of the then Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to disqualify them, no further order was required to be passed at present.

Siddaramaiah, who is also Congress legislature party leader, said the candidates for the remaining 7 out of 15 assembly seats that will go to the bypolls will be decided after the apex court's decision on the disqualified MLAs' pleas.

Congress has already announced the list of candidates for the eight assembly seats.

Bypolls to 15 of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, will be held on December 5.

Siddaramaiah also said without Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, Mysuru's history will be incomplete.

"If lesson on Tipu is removed as lesson from textbook, Mysuru's history will be incomplete; it won't be Mysuru's history. Without Tipu, without Hyder Ali it is going to be incomplete," he said.

Amid demand from within the party to remove the lesson on Tipu Sultan, the controversial 18th century ruler of erstwhile Mysore Kingdom, the state government has formed a committee to look into it and submit a report.