BENGALURU: Four dissidents skipped the Congress Legislature Party meeting here on Friday that was called as a show of strength in a counter to an alleged bid by the BJP to topple the coalition government in Karnataka The absence of four lawmakers posed no imminent threat to the seven-month old Congress-JD(S) government headed by H D Kumaraswamy but suggested that all was not well within the Congress which has been hit by dissidence.Congress leader Siddaramiah said party will issue notice to the four MLAs seeking explanation on their absence at the CLP meet.In a notice issued to Congress MLAs ahead of the meeting, CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah had warned that absence of MLAs would be viewed "seriously" and action taken against them under the Anti-Defection Law.As the meeting got underway, Congress sources said the absentee MLAs were: Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was dropped as minister in the recent cabinet rejig and is said to be extremely unhappy over it, B Nagendra, Umesh Jadhav and Mahesh Kumatahalli.Jadhav has written to Siddaramaiah noting that a letter about the meeting has been affixed outside his room at the legislators home and that since he is unwell and not able to travel, he would not attend the meet.He requested that his absence may be "excused. "Nagendra had said on Thursday he may not be able to attend the CLP meet because of a court case.Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Siddaramaiah, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and state leaders were present at the meet.Ahead of the CLP meeting , senior Congress leaders in Karnataka asserted there was no threat to the coalition government while hitting out at the BJP for making "futile attempts" to destabilise it, saying the saffron party's conspiracy had been "exposed". "All are in contact, you cannot say that any one person is not in contact ... you (media) had listed out the names of those who may switch from the party.Most of them have come, the others will also come," Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said.He also said, "Let whatever happen, there is no threat to this government. It will complete five years. The BJP is making futile attempts to destabilise the government. "Pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party had confined all its MLAs in the state to a hotel at Gurugram in Haryana, Rao said he felt "pity" for them. "There is no threat to this government ... whatever they may try to do, the government cannot be toppled. The BJP's conspiracy has been exposed. Wait and watch what will happen in the days to come," he added.KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said he had spoken to Umesh Jadhav (the Chincholi MLA), who had allegedly planned to switch to the BJP. "He (Jadhav) has told me that he will remain in the Congress ... I have trust in him," he added.Both Rao and Khandre, however, evaded a direct response to a question about Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has allegedly made up his mind to join the BJP.Earlier, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy met Venugopal here and held discussions on the ongoing developments. "They (BJP leaders) will keep continuing with their 'Operation Kamal' (lotus). I am not bothered about it. It is (state BJP chief) Yeddyurappa's duty," Kumaraswamy told reporters.Stating that he would not be available for two days and that he had a packed schedule, including a visit to Kolkata and personal programmes, Kumaraswamy said he called on Venugopal as he would not be able to meet him during the period.As the CLP was underway, Yeddyurappa said several legislators appeared to be attending the meet out of compulsion. "Let them indulge in squabbles .... we have nothing to do with it. "He said the ruling coalition was claiming the support of some BJP MLAs and it was because of this that the party had decided they should stay together in a hotel in Gurugram.In the 224-member assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides Speaker. BSP is supporting the government.Two Independents have announced withdrawal of their support to the government. Yeddyurappa claimed they are backing the BJP.<doc-sep>Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress MLAs reach Eagleton resort after CLP meeting. https://t.co/sKX5eVyV72 — ANI (@ANI) 1547825512000 BENGALURU: The battle for power between the opposition BJP and the ruling Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka took a twist on Friday with the grand old party being pushed on the back foot.After four of its dissident MLAs - Ramesh Jarakiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B Nagendra - failed to turn up for the legislature party meeting, Congress packed off its legislators to a resort directly from the Vidhana Soudha, the venue of the meeting.While Ramesh and Kumatalli remained absent without tendering a reason, Jadhav faxed a letter to CLP leader Siddaramaiah stating that he was ill and was unable to travel. As for Nagendra, Siddaramaiah said he had obtained prior permission from AICC general secretary KC Venugopal to skip the meeting.Immediately after the meeting, the MLAs were sent to a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru in two buses. They are expected to stay there as long as BJP keeps its flock of legislators in a five-star hotel near Gurgaon. "The decision was inevitable as our eight to 10 MLAs are on the verge of joining BJP," said a Congress minister.Siddaramaiah also admitted as much. "They (BJP) have been roaming around with suitcases," Siddaramaiah said. "They have resorted to third-rate politics. We have to save ourselves. We were mulling a two-day session for our MLAs on Lok Sabha poll preparations. So the stay at a hotel will serve a dual purpose." Citing the attendance of 76 MLAs at the CLP meeting as proof, he said BJP's claims of MLAs switching sides are wrong. He accused PM Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah of supporting state BJP leaders' dubious means to topple the government.However, many MLAs believe the decision to move to a resort is unnecessary. "MLAs have honoured the party's diktat and attended the meeting," said one MLA. "If they wanted to switch sides, they would have done so by now. It shows the party has no confidence in us. "As for the missing MLAs, Siddaramaiah said the party will issue notice to both Ramesh and Kumatalli, seeking an explanation for their absence. "We will take disciplinary action after receiving their replies," he said.<doc-sep>Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore. (Express Archive) Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore. (Express Archive) The Congress on Friday claimed that the BJP’s alleged attempts at poaching some its legislators to destabilite the coalition government in Karnataka have been defeated with a show of strength at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, where two of its 79 MLAs failed to turn up, without giving any reason for their absence. Two others also skipped the meeting after informing the party leadership that they have urgent matters to attend to. The Congress decided to move all 75 party MLAs, who attended the meeting, to a resort outside Bengaluru, ostensibly to protect them from poaching attempts by the BJP. The legislators were housed at Eagleton Resort, where 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat were sheltered in 2017 before the Rajya Sabha polls. Ramesh Jharkiholi, an MLA from Gokak region of Belagavi, who was at the forefront of dissident activities after he was dropped from the state Cabinet last month, and close associate Mahesh Kumatahalli, MLA from Athani, also in Belagavi, did not respond to the notice for CLP meeting. Four Congress MLAs, who were among six dissidents who had gone incommunicado recently, touched base with the party in response to the CLP notice. Chincholi MLA Umesh Jadhav sent a letter seeking to be excused from the meeting, stating that he was unable to travel. Bellary Rural MLA B Nagendra cited a court appearance to not attend the meeting. Two other MLAs from Bellary region – J N Ganesh (MLA from Kampli) and Bheema Naik (Hagaribomanahalli) – reported at the meeting, convened by CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah. The Congress-JD(S) combine has 117 MLAs — Congress 80 (with Speaker) and JD(S) 37 – in the 224 member House. There are 104 BJP MLAs, two Independent MLAs one BSP legislator. On keeping party legislators at a resort, Siddaramaiah said, “None of our MLAs will leave the party. We have decided to keep all MLAs with us for a few days. We have to prepare for Lok Sabha polls; we also have to overcome this onslaught by BJP.” BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said, “The absence of Congress MLAs at today’s meeting and deep differences between the coalition partners give an indication that a volcano is likely to erupt in the coming days.” Siddaramaiah maintained that the CLP meet was convened to “counter media reports that the government was set to fall because MLAs are deserting the Congress, and that they are holed up in different places”. This, he asserted, “was false news, created by the BJP, and it was proven today at the CLP meeting.” Starting that Jharkiholi and Kumatahalli “did not respond to the notice”, Siddaramaiah said, “They stayed away without providing any reason. We will send them notices and seek explanations. After we get their explanation, we will inform the (party) high command (for further action).” In his notice for the CLP meeting, Siddaramaiah had stated that legislators not attending would be considered to have “voluntarily decided to leave primary membership’’ of the Congress. Today’s cartoon by EP Unny Today’s cartoon by EP Unny The absence of Congress MLA Ramesh Jharkiholi, a wealthy businessman, from the meeting suggests that a simmering dispute in the party between Jharkiholi and state Energy minister D K Shivakumar, another wealthy politician, for control of Belagavi region that surfaced in September 2018 remains unresolved. Siddaramaiah said: “All our MLAs are together; our party is intact. The BJP was offering crores of rupees to our MLAs to switch sides —- Shivalli, Hebbar and others (MLAs) have been offered cash. They (BJP) were offering to make some of them ministers. MLAs who did not know about the anti-defection law were being lured.” The BJP has denied attempting to poach Congress MLAs to destabilise the government and has claimed that the dissident activities in the Congress were a resulting of infighting in the party.<doc-sep>NEW DELHI: Facing rebellion from some lawmakers, the Congress in Karnataka shifted all its MLAs to a resort on Friday evening. The party took the decision immediately after the CLP meeting, which was skipped by four 'rebel' MLAs.The CLP meeting, which was supposed to be a show of strength, ended up leaving the party in a spot of bother as four MLAs skipped the crucial meeting ignoring strong warnings by former chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah .While the absence of four lawmakers posed no imminent threat to the seven-month old Congress-JD(S) government headed by H D Kumaraswamy, but it did suggest that all was not well within the Congress which has been hit by dissidence.Justifying the move to keep MLAs in a resort, Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) is indulging openly in horse trading and is trying to bring down the JD(S)-Congress coalition government by hook or crook. ""We need to have all our MLAs in one place and deliberate with them on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. So we are all going to the resort," Rao said.Hinting at action against missing MLAs, CLP leader Siddaramaiah said "Congress will issue notices to the four MLAs seeking explanation from them for their absence from the Congress Legislature Party meeting,"Briefing reporters after the CLP meet, Siddaramaiah said after receiving the replies from the absentee lawmakers, the issue would be discussed with the party high command and state leaders before deciding on the next step.The BJP was quick to attack the Congress over its missing MLAs. BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao said the absence of four Congress MLAs, including former Karnataka minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, at the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting here clearly shows the chinks prevalent in the country's grand old party. "The fact of the matter is the grand old party of India is in total disarray. Congress is facing some internal problems, therefore they have convened CLP meeting to display an apparent show of strength," Rao, who is also in charge of BJP affairs in Karnataka, said.Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of attempting to "take control" of his party MLAs in Karnataka by using CBI, ED and Income Tax to "terrorise" them in the BJP's alleged bid to topple the state government. "They are trying multiple things such as threatening our MLAs by carrying out CBI, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax raids," Kharge alleged.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. (With inputs from PTI)<doc-sep>
Bengaluru: The Congress on Friday moved its MLAs in Karnataka to the Eagleton resort in the outskirts of Bengaluru after four legislators ignored the party’s whip and missed a meeting called to rally the flock together, signaling dissidence in the ranks. The crucial Congress Legislative Party meeting started after a two-hour delay and only 75 of the 80 MLAs turned up. Although the numbers suggest that the embattled JDS-Congress coalition government in Karnataka is safe for the time being, the party is taking no chances. While three MLAs ignored the party whip, continuing their stay at a Mumbai hotel, another “rebel” legislator Umesh Jadhav faxed a letter to CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah seeking exemption from the meeting. The 80th MLA of the Congress and Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar can cast his vote if there is a tie during voting in the Assembly. If these four MLAs resign, the HD Kumaraswamy government will have the support of 114 members in the Assembly, one clear of the majority mark. Among the two independent MLAs who have withdrawn support to the government, Congress seems to have won back the support of Mulabagilu MLA Nagesh. After the CLP meeting Siddaramaiah declared that BJP’s “operation Kamala” had been a resounding failure and a “slap in the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah”. Justifying the move to shift the MLAs to a resort, Siddaramaiah claimed Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were directly behind the bid to topple the government. “They are trying to topple our government fearing a washout in the Lok Sabha elections. If Congress and JDS fight together, BJP will not get more than 3-4 Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka. BJP is offering up to Rs.100 Crore to our MLAs. This is how Chowkidar is running his party. We are not going to Gurgaon like BJP MLAs. We have to protect our MLAs”. BJP chief in the state, BS Yeddyurappa, who was keenly watching the developments in Congress camp, gave a brief statement to the media. “It is true that just four Congress MLAs did not attend the CLP meeting. The number is not the issue here. It shows that all is not well in Congress. The party has lost moral right to rule” he said. The three MLAs - Ramesh Jharkiholi, Umesh Kumatalli and B Nagendra - violated the party whip by staying away from CLP meeting without any explanation, while Umesh Jadhav said he was unwell in his letter to Siddaramiah. The Congress said it will issue notices to the four MLAs seeking explanation from them for their absence at the CLP meeting, and after receiving the replies from the absentee lawmakers, the issue would be discussed with the party high command and state leaders before deciding on the next step. The BJP MLAs holed up at a resort near Gurgaon for the past one week expecting the collapse of HDK government are expected to return home in a day or two after the “failure” of their third serious attempt on the government. According to insiders, mood in the BJP camp is somber and not many are in a position to believe their leaders again. The BJP is accusing the Congress and JDS of trying to poach their MLAs.