After Madhya Pradesh, the latest rumors are coming from the state of Karnataka, where the Congress government under H. D. Kumaraswamy is heading towards instability. Earlier, the Grand Old party dropped one of its ministers, Ramesh Jarkiholi, from the state cabinet. Ramesh Jarkiholi, former Small Scale Industries Minister, is keeping all political leaders on tenterhooks since then. In the meantime, BJP leaders sense the collapse of Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka at any moment.
According to a report of Deccan Chronicle, Umesh Katti, a former minister, and BJP MLA from Hukkeri, claimed that the BJP will form the government in a week, as 15 disgruntled MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) coalition are in touch with the saffron party. On further questioning, he refused to reveal the names of MLAs. He further added that these MLAs are upset over not being given ministerial posts in the state cabinet and willing to join BJP.
Umesh Katti has won assembly election 8 times from Hukkeri and is a prominent leader of North Karnataka. After being associated with Janata Dal (Secular) for more than three decades, Katti switched to the BJP. He was upset over the way JDS national president H.D. Deve Gowda has turned JD(S) into a family run party, neglecting eligible leaders.
Not to forget the fact that in the Karnataka assembly election, held earlier this year, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 out of 224 seats in the state assembly. The Congress won 80 seats and it allied with JD(S) which got 37 seats. The alliance of Congress and JD(S) crossed the magical number of 113 and thus were able to install a government in the state. Three remaining seats went in the favour of others including 1 for the BSP (allied with the INC later), 1 for Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) and a single seat to an independent candidate. So the equation of seats in the states assembly is getting more complex. If 10 or 12 MLAs of the Congress-JD(S) alliance leave and join the BJP (as predicted), the Congress government will surely see its doomsday.
Meanwhile, newly inducted minister and brother of Ramesh Jarkiholi, Satish said, “No legislator will quit the Congress. The state government is stable and will complete its full five-year term. I have not yet contacted my brother Ramesh; I will resolve the problem after discussing it with him”. He further emphasized that he will persuade his brother not to desert the Congress. As the latter threatened the INC of resigning from the party membership in four days.
State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, while talking about the rumors, said that he has no plans to meet Ramesh Jarkiholi or any other disgruntled legislator of the ruling parties. Time will decide when the BJP government should be formed again. He added that his party’s main focus is to win more Lok Sabha seats for the party.
Also, former CM made a comment on the controversial statement of current CM H. D. Kumaraswamy as he ordered the police officials for mercilessly killing the murderers of a JD(S) leader. He added further, “The amount of misusing the police department and support for goondas. He did not ever apologize on an earlier occasion too when he made remarks against a woman former leader. He has given a false assurance to waive off farmers’ loans as banks continue to issue notices to them asking them to repay loans”.
In the recent turn of events, the BSP which is supporting the Congress in Karnataka assembly as well as in Madhya Pradesh seems to be disappointed with the Grand Old Party. The MLAs of BSP from Madhya Pradesh called a meeting without even informing the Congress party when they were not offered the ministerial positions in the state cabinet. The rumors of the instability of the Congress government of Kamal Nath in MP gives a sense that something similar may occur in the state of Karnataka as well.