Amarinder hails Karnataka development, demands Guv Vala's resignation on ethical grounds

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh hailed the collapse of the three-day-old B S Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka just before a crucial trust vote today as a vindication of the Congress party's moral stand and a "total loss of face" for the BJP.

Singh alleged the BJP had "stooped to new lows" in its desperation to grab power in Karnataka by "hook or by crook".

With defeat staring him in the face, Yeddyurappa resigned as the chief minister of Karnataka without facing the trust vote after a brief emotional speech in the state assembly. The trust vote was ordered by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by the Congress and JD(S) challenging Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision inviting the BJP to form the government in the state.

The BJP had emerged the single largest party after election results were declared on May 15. But the Congress-JD(S) joined hands after the election results to stake claim to form the government amid intense efforts from both the sides.

Reacting to Yeddyurappa's resignation, the Punjab chief minister said the Indian democracy had been "saved from total desecration", thanks to the Supreme Court which came to the rescue to uphold the Constitution of the country.

The developments are a vindication of the Congress party's moral stand and a "total loss of face" for the BJP, he said.

The events of the day "exposed the dirty nexus" between the BJP and the Karnataka governor, Singh said in a statement.

He demanded that Governor Vala immediately step down on ethical grounds. Vala, a former RSS functionary working at the behest of the BJP leadership, has lost the moral right to continue in office, he alleged.

He said the Supreme Court should order Vala's dismissal if he fails to resign from the position.

Singh lauded the top court's role in the matter, saying the judiciary still offered a ray of hope in the darkness into which India had been plunged by "malevolent forces spearheaded by the BJP".

He congratulated the Congress leadership under president Rahul Gandhi and commended other party leaders in Karnataka for refusing to succumb to pressure from the BJP in the run-up to the floor test.