Yediyurappa rejects Congress demand for his resignation

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday rejected Congress demand for his resignation after a video of his purported remarks pertaining to resignation of Congress and JD-S MLAs surfaced.

He also dismissed Karnataka Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao's demand for resignation of BJP chief and union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"It is foolishness. As an opposition leader, he does not know what he is speaking. Why should Amit Shah resign? They (rebel MLAs) were in Mumbai for two-and-a-half-months, how is he responsible? It shows that he, being in the Opposition, wants to take advantage of it (the situation), " Yediyurappa told ANI.

"I have told workers not to speak all nonsense in the meeting. They have resigned for their reasons. Let us wait for Supreme Court's decision and in the meantime, let us not speak anything on the MLAs," he added.

In the video that has surfaced, Yediyurappa purportedly says that the decision of the 17 JD-S and Congress MLAs to resign, which led to the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government in July, was taken by the central leadership of the BJP and that the party workers should honour the "sacrifice" of the rebel MLAs.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said earlier in the day that Yediyurappa has no right to continue in the office. Gundu Rao had alleged that BJP's central leadership was involved in toppling the coalition government of BJP and JD-S and Shah has no moral right to continue as the Home Minister.