'Shocked that Ramalinga Reddy gave his resignation', DK Shivakumar to TNM

Politics

Sources say that Ramalinga Reddy has asked for Bengaluru Development ministry.

Prajwal Bhat

Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday stated that he was shocked that a senior leader like Ramalinga Reddy submitted his resignation from the Karnataka Assembly. Speaking to TNM outside his residence in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said, "It was shocking to me that Ramalinga Reddy offered his resignation. He is a senior leader of the party, a seven-time MLA like me. He feels humiliated by the party and the ministry. I hope to sort it out.” According to sources, Ramalinga Reddy is keen on getting the Bengaluru Development portfolio, which is currently held by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. Ramalinga Reddy had been miffed with Kumaraswamy for not including him when the cabinet was formed and further excluding him during the reshuffle. The developments come on a day when eight Congress MLAs and three JD(S) MLAs submitted their resignation letters to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. The Speaker, however, was not in his office. Though one more Congress MLA wanted to submit his resignation, Congress leader DK Shivakumar tore it. Despite this, Shivakumar expressed confidence that the coalition government in power in Karnataka will continue. "We are confident (that it will continue). There may be interpersonal differences. Each MLA has his or her own set of problems and we will settle them. I cannot tell what I have discussed with them. BJP leaders are pretending to be innocent but I know who they are speaking to. Let us wait and see,” he said. He further added that the coalition is ready to make sacrifices to ensure the government is secure. "We will rectify what is wrong and save the government. We are ready for all sacrifices. We can't stop who is leaving but leaders have left in the past and then returned,” he added. It was DK Shivakumar who acted as troubleshooter this time too and rushed to the Speaker's office in Vidhana Soudha when the MLAs went to hand over their resignations. DK Shivakumar managed to take at least four MLAs home with him. But in his conversation with TNM later, it was clear that he had not fully managed to convince these Congress MLAs to take back their resignations. The rebel 11 MLAs are currently on their way to Mumbai. Their resignation spells trouble for the Karnataka government, as they are 4 MLAs away from losing majority in the Assembly. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is in the US and is rushing back to Bengaluru. The majority mark in the Karnataka Assembly is 113 and the Congress had 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. There are two independent MLAs who have supported the coalition. The opposition BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105.

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‘Anybody but Kumaraswamy as CM’: What 11 Karnataka MLAs who resigned claim they want

Politics

Ramalinga Reddy has however demanded that he should be given the Bengaluru Development ministry.

Theja Ram

The 11 Karnataka MLAs who submitted their resignations to the Karnataka Speaker on Saturday claim that they did so as they were unhappy with Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s leadership, sources told TNM. Former Karnataka Congress Minister and senior leader Ramalinga Reddy has however demanded that he should be given the Bengaluru Development ministry which is currently being held by Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara. Ramalinga Reddy and 10 other MLAs – Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar – have submitted their resignations. Highly placed sources told TNM that out of these, three Karnataka Congress MLAs – ST Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj and Munirathna – have demanded a change of leadership and demanded that Kumaraswamy be ousted as the Karnataka Chief Minister. The three have demanded that former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah be made the Chief Minister. Other rebel MLAs have suggested that anybody but Kumaraswamy be made the Chief Minister, sources stated.  However, a top Congress source denied this and said that other than Ramalinga Reddy, all other MLAs were in talks with the BJP and were ready to jump ship. "Demanding a leadership change is just their ploy to deepen the fissures in the coalition." These developments have put the JD(S)-Congress’s ruling coalition in Karnataka in a tight spot. While 11 MLAs have resigned, if five more do so, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly.  Also read: Leading the rebellion against K'taka govt is former Congress Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy The 11 MLAs were accompanied by rebel Congress leader Anand Singh, who has tendered his resignation already, and Congress MLA Munirathna, whose resignation was reportedly torn by Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar earlier on Saturday.  Karnataka Minister and troubleshooter DK Shivakumar told TNM that he is trying to convince the MLAs and that they want to resign over ‘petty reasons.’ The strength of the coalition government is 120 now, including the Speaker. Congress has 80 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs - R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies - are also supporting the coalition. The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105. The majority mark is 113.  

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Leading the rebellion against K'taka govt is former Congress Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy

Politics

Reddy is unhappy that neither he nor his daughter were made ministers in the cabinet.

Theja Ram

In a significant setback to the JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka, former Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy submitted his resignation as an MLA, however, Speaker Ramesh Kumar is yet to accepting this resignation. Speaking to ANI, Ramalinga Reddy said that he would not blame the party or the high command, but was resigning because he felt "neglected".  "I somewhere feel I was being neglected over some issues. That is why I have taken this decision," he said. When asked if the BJP is in touch with him, he said, "Nothing like that.” When asked whether his daughter and MLA Sowmya Reddy, who is also reportedly likely to resign, will be joining BJP, Reddy said, "That is her decision." Though Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar managed to take away Ramalinga Reddy and two others with him, Reddy for now seems adamant about his resignation. Reddy is unhappy that neither he nor his daughter were made ministers in the cabinet. Though he was supposed to be accomodated in the recent reshuffle, it did not happen, leaving Reddy miffed. Moreover, there is tussle between Ramalinga Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara over the garbage tenders given in Bengaluru, as this used to be Reddy's turf. Along with former Ramalinga Reddy, 10 other MLAs - Ramesh Jarkiholi, AH Vishwanath, Somashekar, Pratap Gouda Patil, Gopalaiah, BC Patil, Mahesh Kumtahallli, Narayana Gowda, Byrati Basavaraj, Shivram Hebbar - have submitted their resignations to the Speaker’s office. Some of the dissenting MLAs also met Governor Vajubhai R Vala. These developments have put the JD(S)-Congress’s ruling coalition in Karnataka in a tight spot. While 11 MLAs have resigned, if four more do so, the coalition will no longer have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly.  The developments have come as a shock to leaders of the ruling coalition. Soon after the news of the legislators reaching Vidhana Soudha got out, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao rushed to former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s residence as the latter’s name was doing the rounds as one of the MLAs likely to quit. Also read: Live blog: JD(S)-Congress govt in K'taka in crisis as over 10 coalition MLAs want to quit

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11 Cong-JD(S) MLAs tender resignation, but Karnataka Speaker plays hide and seek

Politics

Claiming he didn’t know the MLAs were coming to meet him, the Speaker said, “You may want to marry the Mysuru Maharani, but does that mean she has to accept?”

TNM Staff

As crisis brews in the Karnataka government and there are several speculations about what may happen by the end of Saturday, the Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar playing hide and seek. The Speaker is the only person who can accept resignations of elected legislators in the state, and as 11 MLAs from Congress and JD(S) lined up in front of his office on Saturday, Ramesh Kumar made a quick disappearing act. First, he went off to a hospital, and then, speaking to the media, he said he wouldn’t return to his office till Tuesday. “I did not know that the MLAs were coming to meet me,” Ramesh Kumar – a Congressman – told mediapersons around 3 pm on Saturday, hours after 11 MLAs turned up at his doorstep to tender their resignations. “Did they call me? Did they write to me? Did they tell me they were coming to meet me? Then how am I supposed to know?” he asked, adding, “You may want to marry the Mysuru Maharani, but does that mean she has to accept?” The Speaker said that a relative of his – a cousin of his wife – was extremely unwell and was at the Jayadeva Hospital. He had therefore gone to meet him on Saturday afternoon, right when the MLAs came to meet him. “I am a farmer and I need to go home on Sunday,” he said, “And there is already a programme for Monday that I need to attend. So I will be back on Tuesday.” The 11 MLAs who have given resignation letters to the Speaker’s office are JD(S) leaders AH Vishwanath, and Gopaliah Narayana Gowda, and Congress leaders Ramalinga Reddy, Mahesh Kumthalli, BC Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, Narayan Gowda, Byrathi Basavaraj, ST Somashekar, and Pratapgouda Patil. “I have told my office to take their letter,” Ramesh Kumar said. Ramesh Kumar’s blink-and-miss act seems to be just another part of the ruling coalition’s efforts to bring the disgruntled MLAs back in their fold. Congress troubleshooter and Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar reached the Speaker’s office soon after the rebel MLAs grouped there. He managed to sneak away Ramalinga Reddy, Byrathi Basavaraj, and Somashekar for talks, even as the other MLAs left to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor.

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Live blog: JD(S)-Congress govt in K'taka in crisis as over 10 coalition MLAs want to quit

Politics

The strength of the coalition government is 119 now. Meanwhile, the BJP has 105 MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly. The majority mark in the Assembly is 113.

TNM Staff

Crisis has returned to the JD(S)-Congress led government in Karnataka as around eight MLAs of the alliance have reached the Karnataka Assembly Speaker’s office to tender their resignations. Three JD(S) MLAs and five Congress MLAs reached Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s office on Saturday afternoon to offer their resignation. Among them are JD(S) leaders AH Vishwanath, and Gopaliah Narayana Gowda and Congress leaders Mahesh Kumthalli, BC Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, and Pratapgouda Patil. More MLAs are on the way according to reports. However, the Speaker has refused to meet them so far. Soon after the news of the legislators reaching Vidhana Soudha got out, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao rushed to former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s residence as the latter’s name was doing the rounds as one of the MLAs likely to quit. The strength of the coalition government is 119 now. Congress has 79 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs – R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies – are also supporting the coalition. Meanwhile, the BJP has 105 MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly. The majority mark in the Assembly is 113. If these 8 MLAs and Anand Singh resigns, the coalition numbers will be down to 110. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is not in Karnataka and is currently abroad. Congress's troubleshooter DJ Shivakumar has reached the Vidhana Soudha to try and retain the coalition MLAs. Speaking to the media ahead of his meeting with the MLAs, Shivakumar allayed fears and stated: "Nothing will happen, they are all our friends, nothing will happen to the government." The BJP has stated that it is confident that the government will fall.  Follow live updates here: (Note: If your live blog does not load, please disable your Adblocker:)

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Will Karnataka govt survive? 8 JD(S)-Cong MLAs line up outside Speaker’s office to resign

Politics

The Speaker however is refusing to meet them and told the media that the MLAs will have to fix an appointment if they wanted to meet him, calling their visit an attempt to blackmail.

TNM Staff

Speculation is rife in political circles that several MLAs from the ruling coalition in Karnataka are all set to tender their resignations. Amidst such speculation, eight legislators went knocking on Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s door in the Vidhana Soudha on Saturday, intending to speak to him. Three JD(S) MLAs and five Congress MLAs reached Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s office on Saturday afternoon to offer their resignation. Among them are JD(S) leaders AH Vishwanath, and Gopaliah Narayana Gowda and Congress leaders Mahesh Kumthalli, BC Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, and Pratapgouda Patil. More MLAs are on the way according to reports. However, the Speaker has refused to meet them so far. The developments have come as a shock to leaders of the ruling coalition. Soon after the news of the legislators reaching Vidhana Soudha got out, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao rushed to former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s residence as the latter’s name was doing the rounds as one of the MLAs likely to quit. The Speaker, who is in Vidhana Soudha, told the media that the MLAs will have to fix an appointment with him if they wanted to meet him, and called their visit an attempt to blackmail. "They have to take an appointment with me. I am not sitting at a market here. I am the Speaker. Blackmail tactics of spreading rumours of resignations will not work with me," Ramesh Kumar said. According to reports, 11 Congress and two JD(S) MLAs are likely to quit their posts after meeting with Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. A highly placed source in the Congress said that Congress MLAs Ramalinga Reddy, Sowmya Reddy, Shivaram Hebbar, BC Patil, Pratapgouda Patil, SN Subba Reddy, Mahesh Kumatahalli, Roshan Baig, Muniratna, Byrathi Basavaraj, ST Somashekar and JD(S) MLAs AH Vishwanath and Narayana Gowda were likely to quit. Sources in the Congress say that the fresh round of resignations are the BJP’s attempt at luring away ruling coalition’s legislators ahead of the Monsoon session of the Assembly, which is slated to begin on July 12. “BJP wants a no confidence motion when the session begins. The Speaker is trying to stall the resignations. None of the MLAs resignations have been accepted so far,” the Congress source said. The strength of the coalition government is 119 now. Congress has 79 MLAs, the JD(S) has 37 MLAs and there is 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs - R Shankar from Ranebennur and H Nagesh from Mulbagal constituencies - are also supporting the coalition. Meanwhile, the BJP has 105 MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly. The majority mark in the Assembly is 113. If these 8 MLAs and Anand Singh resigns, the coalition numbers will be down to 110.

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A detention centre for undocumented foreign nationals to soon open near Bengaluru

Immigration

Karnataka will become the second state to establish such a centre after Assam. However, rampant use of detention is not in accordance with international law.

TNM Staff

Karnataka may soon become the second state in the country to have a detention centre for illegal immigrants. The state is already in the advanced stage of setting up one such centre near Bengaluru. The facility aims at detaining foreigners staying back without proper documentation. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in a written response to a query by Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, said that the Karnataka government has informed the Centre that they are in the process of establishing a detention centre soon. “The required police personnel and other infrastructure facilities have been allocated for this purpose and the necessary work is in progress,” Rai’s statement said.  In February, the Ministry of Home Affairs had informed the Supreme Court that it had allocated Rs 47 crore to the Assam government to establish a detention centre, which would be functional by August 31, 2019.   Several questions on the legality of detention centres have been raised even as the Supreme Court is hearing a case on the detention centre coming up in Assam. According to Mrinal Sharma, Policy Advisor, Amnesty International India, the central government does have the power to detain foreigners and build detention centers under the Foreigners Act, 1946, it is only to be used as a last resort. “While Section 3(e) and (g) of the Foreigners Act of 1946 allows the Central Government to detain a foreigner or keep them in a particular place or impose restrictions on their movements, it also provides for alternatives to detention. Section 3(f) allows foreigners to be released by entering into a bond with or without sureties. Section 4, on the other hand, states that a foreigner against whom a detention order has been made must be confined in a place which is subject to maintenance, discipline and punishment allowing for the construction of detention centers. The central government has delegated these powers to the state governments or FRROs,” she said. However, she said that rampant use of detention was not in accordance with international law, which permits detention to be used only as a last resort where it is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to a legitimate government objective. Speaking to TNM, ADGP (Law and Order) Kamal Pant said TNM that only one detention facility would be set up in Karnataka, which is being established in Bengaluru Rural district’s Nelamangala taluk. “The basic infrastructure has been identified. It has been repaired. There is some additional work to be done, which will be completed soon,” Kamal Pant added.   The work is being coordinated by various agencies including Foreigners Regional Registration Office, the state intelligence, which is the state government agency for keeping track of foreign nationals, the state police, which will be in charge of the security of the detention centre. “We will need somebody to run the centre for day to day administration. This is most likely to become the responsibility of the Social Welfare Department. Besides that, we will have to follow the model of a correctional home and will consult with the Prisons department,” ADGP Kamal Pant added.  Rai, in his response stated that the government had not maintained an accurate record of the number of illegal immigrants. However, he said that Karnataka government’s figures indicated that, 143 cases were registered against “illegal Bangladeshi nationals” in the state and “144 illegal Bangladeshi nationals have been deported” so far. The Centre had issued instructions to all state governments and union territory administrations in 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2018, to set up detention centres to restrict the movements of illegal immigrants to expedite the process of deportation.    

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