Yeddyurappa wins trust vote, but president's rule looms

CRISIS IN KARNATAKA

The BJP government in Karnataka teetered on the verge of dismissal after winning a controversial trust vote in the Legislative Assembly today. The UPA government at the Centre decided to wait for a Karnataka High Court verdict on an appeal by disqualified MLAs before taking a call on the imposition of president’s rule in the state.

State governor H R Bharadwaj sent a report to the president recommending imposition of central rule, after the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government won the confidence motion by voice vote amidst chaos and confusion. The speaker earlier disqualified 16 rebel MLAs, who were expected to vote against the government.

In his report, the governor is believed to have described today’s vote of confidence as “unconstitutional”. It is believed that Bharadwaj termed the disqualification of independent MLAs under the anti-defection law by the speaker as unethical and wrong.

In Delhi, the Congress core group met to discuss the situation in Karnataka. While the Congress party slammed the entire process of conducting the trust vote as “murder of democracy”, a large section of the party felt the central government should act on the governor’s report and dismiss the state government. The UPA government, however, has decided not to take any action in haste.

There is, however, a strong difference of opinion on what the party should do after the House is placed under suspended animation. The state unit is in favour of joining hands with the JD(S) and forming an alternative government for the remaining period of the government’s term (around two-and-a-half years). But some central leaders belonging to the state feel the party should go for fresh elections.

Of the 16 disqualified rebels, eight — including three from the BJP and five independents — were ministers, who were sacked recently for revolting against the leadership. With the disqualification of 11 rebels, the strength of the ruling party fell to 106, including the speaker, followed by the Congress with 73 and JD(S) with 28, the remaining being six independents.

Several political leaders confessed privately that Karnataka, considered the foremost state for IT companies, was in for a period of instability.