Cong MLA resigns in K’taka; another also reportedly quits

Bengaluru, July 1

The wobbly coalition government in Karnataka suffered a jolt Monday after Congress MLA Anand Singh announced his resignation from the Assembly over certain demands.

Unconfirmed reports said another Congress MLA — Ramesh Jarkiholi — too has resigned but he not was available for comments even as the Assembly Secretariat said it had not received his letter in person, as was required under rules.

Singh said he decided to resign over his demands, including creation of a separate Vijayangar district and cancellation of the nod for sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel in mine-rich Ballari district. However, he appeared to have not shut the doors fully, saying he would “wait for answers” (from the government to his demands) when asked if he would withdraw the resignation.

Singh, who represents Vijayanagar Assembly constituency, also outrightly rejected suggestions that he was succumbing to Operation Lotus, a strategy adopted by the BJP in 2008 to shore up its numbers in the Assembly by making opposition MLAs resign and seek re-election on the saffron party ticket.

Amid repeated charges by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy that it was trying to destabilise the JDS-Congress government, the BJP recently said it was not making any such attempts.

Jarkhiholi, who has been hobnobbing with the BJP for some time now, in a letter addressed to the Assembly Speaker has said he was resigning voluntarily.

A former minister, he had earlier threatened that he along with other MLAs would soon resign enmasse from Congress. Earlier, there was some confusion on Singh’s resignation as Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said he had not got any communication from the MLA, who insisted he has quit.

However, later a statement from the Speaker’s office confirmed receipt of the resignation letter. Noting that the letter was received at 2 pm, the statement said necessary action would be taken “in accordance with rules laid down in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business” of the assembly.

Singh later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan and handed over a copy of his resignation letter, which the MLA also shared with the media later. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is in the US for the foundation laying ceremony of a temple, tweeted “I am watching all the developments from here. BJP is day dreaming to destabilise the government”.

Rejecting Kumaraswamy’s charge, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said the coalition government would collapse on its own and his party will not be responsible for it. He said BJP would explore Constitutional provisions to form a new government in the event of fall of the coalition regime. — PTI

‘Decision has nothing to do with bjp’

I have decided to resign over demands for a separate Vijayangar district and cancellation of the nod for sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel in mine-rich Ballari district… BJP has nothing to do with it. — Anand Singh, Congress MLA