BJP's attempts to poach ruling MLAs will fail:Cong K'TKA chief

The Congress' Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao Tuesday continued his tirade against the BJP for its alleged 'Operation Lotus' to poach ruling party MLAs and asserted that the saffron party would not succeed in its attempt.

Speaking to reporters at Hubballi, Rao said the coalition government would complete its tenure.

"They (BJP leaders) have been saying the budget will not be tabled or passed as the government will collapse. They tried to poach our MLAs and now they are targeting them," he said.

He claimed that a few days ago a Congress MLA told him that he received a phone call from a BJP leader telling him that the "delivery" (cash) was ready and he has to collect it.

"You can see how desperate the BJP is to topple the government. No political party has ever stooped so low when compared to BJP. However, this Operation Lotus will flop completely.They will lose face again.

Thrice they attempted and now this is their fourth attempt. Yet they have not learned any lessons," the state Congress president said.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and senior Congress functionaries have been accusing the BJP of horse trading.

However, the BJP has refuted these allegations, saying it did not need to topple the government as it would come down on its own.

The BJP's state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa Tuesday hit out at JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda and asked him to stop accusing the saffron party of trying to "destabilise" the Congress-JDS government and instead keep the coalition flock together.

He was reacting to Gowda's comments that attempts were being made by the BJP's state unit to "destabilise" the government.