Karnataka govt has lost majority, coalition on verge of collapse: BJP

The BJP Wednesday claimed that the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka has lost majority and that the ruling coalition is on the verge of "collapse" due to its "internal contradictions".

Its spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao also accused the ruling coalition of trying to poach the state's BJP MLAs, who have been staying in a resort near the national capital, and said its "desperate attempt" to shore up its decreasing numbers will come to a nought.

A senior BJP leader, who declined to be named, said the party will "wait and watch" as to how the differences within the alliance play out before taking a call on its next move.

 

"Let the state unit decide and then we will deliberate over it," he said when asked if the BJP is looking to make a push for stalling its government in the southern state.

The saffron party also hit out at the Congress-JD(S) over its allegation that it was trying to poach the coalition MLAs.

"The statement coming from the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka is an attempt to hide their own failures and gain time to function as a minority government. The state government lacks legitimacy as it has lost the required numbers and has become a lame duck government," Rao said.

He claimed that there is an "implosion" in Karnataka as a result of an intense factional feud that has broken out among its different factions.

The coalition government in the state suffered the first major setback when two MLAs, an independent and a member of the Karnataka Pragnyavantara Janata Paksha, Tuesday withdrew support to the government.

There was no immediate threat to the government with the withdrawal of support but speculation was rife that many other disgruntled Congress MLAs could follow suit by resigning from the Assembly, though the party has maintained that its flock is intact.