Three Karnataka Congress MLAs on Friday abstained from a meeting of the Legislature Party meeting which decided to move rest of the 76 legislators to a resort to prevent poaching.
The meeting was convened by the party to assess whether its flock was intact amid speculation that some of the MLAs had switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The party, which had threatened to invoke anti-defection law against those absenting themselves, decided to issue show cause notices to those who did not make to the meeting.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who chaired the Congress Legislature Party meeting said: “76 MLAs were present physically out of the 79. I will send notice to absentees and seek an explanation. Then I will speak to the high command.”
Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy said, “We are working together well. Let us work. We are all going to Eagleton resort.”
The stay at the resort would probably be a one-day affair, as ‘a show of strength’, Reddy said, adding, “We will also have discussion on upcoming parliamentary elections.”
Siddaramaiah alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and central ministers were involved in the ‘process of destabilising’ the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka.
“They approached our MLAs with huge offers of Rs 50-70 crores. I have proof. How come a chowkidar (guard) has so much money?” asked Siddaramaiah, apparently referring to the prime minister who calls himself a ‘chowkidar‘.
The Congress, which shares power with JD-S, has 80 MLAs in the 224-member assembly, including the Speaker.
Accordingly, 79 MLAs were expected to attend the CLP meeting held under the supervision of central leaders K C Venugopal and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge on Friday accused the PM of attempting to ‘take control’ of his party MLAs in Karnataka by using Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax to ‘terrorise’ them in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s alleged bid to topple the state government.
“They are trying multiple things such as threatening our MLAs by carrying out CBI, ED and Income Tax raids. Modi is attempting to take control over our MLAs,” Kharge alleged while addressing Congress workers at a ceremony where H K Patil took over as Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee campaign committee chief.
Kharge, the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, reminded BJP leaders that Congress workers were ‘strong and stubborn’ and they would not yield to any pressure.
He spoke about an incident to underline ‘Operation Lotus’, an alleged BJP attempt to topple the coalition government, Kharge said he, Modi, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, and senior BJP leader L K Advani had assembled on January 16 evening to decide on the Gandhi Peace Prize.
When they were sitting, the prime minister asked Kharge about the developments in Karnataka, he said.
“I told him that it is you not me who knows better about what you are doing. Modi said there is an information that BJP MLAs have been lured to defect.
“I replied that your people and your government are doing it. Then he said your people (Congress MLAs) are roaming here and there,” Kharge said.
With PTI inputs
Source: Rediff