Yeddyurappa hits out at Shivakumar over resignation drama

BJP state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday hit out at state minister D K Shivakumar over his act of tearring the resignation of some of the coalition MLAs.

Speaking to media, he said, "People are watching the way D K Shivakumar is behaving. He tore the resignation letters of some of the MLAs inside the Speaker's office, when they had gone to resign, it is condemnable."

The dissidence-plagued Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka appeared to have fallen into a minority with 11 of the MLAs belonging to the two parties quitting the Assembly as the crisis deepened for the ruling dispensation.

On the day of high drama today, eight of the coalition MLAs went to Raj Bhavan to meet Governor Vajubhai Vala, while three of the Congress MLAs have gone to the residence of the Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who has mounted efforts to wean away the dissidents and persuade them to withdraw their resignations.

With today's developments, the strength of the ruling coalition in Karnataka has come down to 105, which is eight short of the half-way mark of 113 for a majority.