Congress seeks Karnataka government’s dismissal; CM ‘quoted out of context’: BJP

Bengaluru/New Delhi, November 2

The Congress on Saturday demanded dismissal of the BJP government in Karnataka following leak of an audio clipping in which Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa purportedly can be heard mentioning the disqualification of rebel Congress-JDS Members of Legislative Assembly and alleged involvement of the saffron party’s central leadership.

Attacking the BJP, Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal told reporters in New Delhi that the party will approach the Supreme Court with the “latest evidence”.

The BJP, however, said the chief minister was quoted “out of context”.

The row erupted just as the BJP government has completed 100 days in office after it was sworn in on July 26 following the collapse of the Congress-JDS government with the defeat of the motion of confidence moved by then chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in the assembly by 99-105 votes.

In the clipping that has gone viral, Yediyurappa reportedly is heard saying the dissident Congress-JD(S) MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under the watch of BJP president Amit Shah.

The Congress also urged the President of India to remove Home Minister Amit Shah from the Union Cabinet based on the clipping.

The Congress leaders led by Opposition leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao met Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted a memorandum to this effect.

“We met the governor and demanded that the Yediyurappa government be dismissed. We have petitioned that the same should be conveyed to the President of India and Amit Shah should be dismissed from the cabinet,” Siddaramaiah told reporters at Bengaluru after meeting Vala.

Siddaramaiah claimed in the clipping aired by news channels Yediyurappa has stated that Amit Shah had kept all the disqualified MLAs in Mumbai and engineered the defection.

“The clipping makes it very clear that BJP indulged in anti-constitutional activities. Home Minister Amit Shah was behind pulling down the government unconstitutionally, hoarding the MLAs in Mumbai by luring them.

We are not saying this but chief minister BS Yediyurappa himself has admitted it,” the former chief minister alleged.

Hitting out at the saffron party, Venugopal said: “We kept saying that under the leadership of Prime Minister and Amit Shah, BJP is misusing all the government agencies like Enforcement Directorate, IB and CBI to poach the opposition MLAs and to destablise the opposition-led governments”.      

“Now, there is a concrete proof and it is very shocking that he is telling, Yediyuruppa is telling that the Supreme Court may give relief to the defectors and they can contest elections,” the AICC in-charge of Karnataka claimed.

“We are expecting the Supreme Court will view this matter very seriously and they will take action accordingly.

Anyway the Congress party is approaching the Supreme Court with this latest evidence,” Venugopal said, demanding answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue.

Yediyurappa also purportedly can be heard expressing anguish at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over some leaders’ opposition to giving tickets todisqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs for the December 5 bypolls to 15 assembly constituencies.

In the audio tape, he also reportedly hits out at party leaders for lack of support in “saving” the BJP government and not recognising the “sacrifice” of the disqualified MLAs, because of whom they could come to power.

Reacting to the row, the BJP said the Chief Minister was quoted out of context.

“Nobody knows in what context the chief minister had said. He has been quoted out of context,” BJP spokesperson Go Madhusudan told PTI.

Such statements hold no good in any court of law as evidence, the BJP leader added.

Wading into the controversy, JDS leader and former chief minister Kumaraswamy said the BJP as a party stood exposed by the clipping as Yediyurappa himself has “revealed the truth”. PTI