Karnataka crisis: BJP wants trust vote on Monday

The BJP will press Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to seek trust vote in the Assembly on Monday, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said Saturday.The former chief minister asserted that the Congress-JD(S)coalition government has lost majority and its collapse was imminent.In a surprise move amid the existential crisis faced by his government, Kumaraswamy had on Friday announced in the state Assembly that he had voluntarily decided to seek a trust vote to end the “confusion” caused by resignations of rebel MLAs and requested the Speaker to fix time for the same.Yeddyurappa said Saturday that the Chief Minister “must move the confidence motion Monday itself”.”Monday morning at Business Advisory Committee meeting we will advise that Chief Ministers commitment should be fulfilled,” he said.According to sources, at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Friday Kumaraswamy had proposed that the trust vote be held on Wednesday.However, no decision was taken as the principal opposition BJP did not attend the meeting.The coalition government, which has been shaky since it came into being last year after a post-poll arrangement in the wake of a hung verdict, is facing a serious crisis now with 16 MLAs — 13 of the Congress and three of the JD(S) — resigning their assembly membership.Besides, two independent legislators, who were made ministers recently to provide stability to the government, have quit the ministry and withdrawn support.Pointing out that Kumaraswamy has clearly lost majority with the resignation of 16 MLAs and two independents withdrawing support, Yeddyurappa said it was better for him to resign and allow a new government to take over to work for the people of the state.”The Chief Minister himself has said in the Assembly that without the support of MLAs, he would not like to continue and hence would be moving a motion seeking trust vote.”Let us wait till Monday, if he is going to move confidence motion we have no objection. We will wait till Monday,” he added.The Supreme Court, hearing a petition by ten of the 16 rebel MLAs, had on Friday restrained Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar from taking any decision till next Tuesday on the resignation and disqualification of the legislators.Yeddyurappa said, along with ten MLAs, five more MLAs- MTB Nagaraj, K Sudhakar, Munirathana, R Roshan Baig and Anand Singh– have also moved the Supreme Court regarding delay in acceptance of their resignation by the Speaker, and it may also be taken up by the court on Tuesday.To a question about the Congress trying to persuade rebel Congress MLA Nagaraj to withdraw his resignation, the BJP leader said when the legislator himself has moved the apex court and when the plea has been admitted, “I dont think he will go back”.