Cong moves K’taka MLAs to resort as four skip CLP meet

Bengaluru, January 18

Facing rebellion from some lawmakers, the Congress shifted its Karnataka MLAs to a resort on Friday. The party took the decision after the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, which was skipped by four “dissidents”. The meet was called as a show of strength against an alleged bid by the BJP to dislodge the HD Kumaraswamy government.

The absence of four lawmakers posed no imminent threat to the seven-month- old Congress-JDS government in the numbers game but suggested that all was not well within the Congress which is wrestling with dissidence.

The Congress would issue notices to absentee MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was dropped as minister in the recent Cabinet rejig and is said to be unhappy over it, B Nagendra, Umesh Jadhav and Mahesh Kumatahalli, CLP leader Siddaramaiah said after the meet. He said 76 MLAs were present at the meeting, also attended by Congress leader in the LS Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and Deputy CM G Parameshwara, besides other state leaders.

 Siddaramaiah said Jadhav had written to him saying he would not be able to attend as he was unwell, while Nagendra had spoken to Venugopal conveying his inability to be present because of a court case. The other two MLAs had not communicated anything, he said.

Soon after the meet, the Congress MLAs were herded in two buses and taken to a resort near the city. A state senior Congress leader said since it was suspected that eight party MLAs had “committed” to the BJP and might jump ship, the legislators were being shifted to a resort. “All MLAs, MPs, and ministers will stay together. They will stay together as long as required to escape from the onslaught of the BJP,” Siddaramaiah said.

BJP MLAs continued to stay put at a Gurugram hotel, a move the party defended saying it was to prevent Congress from poaching them. — PTI