In Parliament, Rajnath denies BJP hand in K’taka crisis: But BSY’s PA seen with rebels

Politics

BS Yeddyurappa’s personal assistant and relative NR Santosh was spotted with rebel MLAs on Saturday and Monday.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka government seems to be on the brink of collapse and in a last ditch effort, legislators are being packed off to posh hotels and resorts. The issue came up in Parliament too when opposition MPs blamed the BJP for the crisis.  Amidst such allegations, Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh told the Parliament that his party had nothing to do with the developments and that AICC chief Rahul Gandhi set the trend for resignations in the Congress. “It is Rahul Gandhi who started the resignation spree in Congress, now one leader after another is quitting. What does the BJP have to do with this? Our party does not have a tradition of putting pressure or offering inducements to any other party's legislator. Because we are committed to the sanctity of parliamentary democracy,” Rajnath Singh told other MPs. Though, Rajnath Singh said this in Delhi, back in Bengaluru the scene was completely different. An hour after independent MLA H Nagesh withdrew support to the government and submitted a letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala, he was seen loading his luggage into a car along with BJP state President BS Yeddyurappa’s personal assistant and relative NR Santosh. Nagesh and Santosh were also seen at the HAL airport in Bengaluru, where Nagesh boarded the flight to Mumbai. BS Yeddyurappa's PA Santosh (in blue shirt) at HAL airport with independent MLA H Nagesh On Saturday, Santosh was also seen in the company of 11 rebel MLAs outside the Oakwood Hotel in Bengaluru’s UB City just a few minutes before the legislators tendered their resignations to the Speaker’s office. AH Vishwanath (left) and NR Santosh (right) at Oakwood hotel right before the 12 MLAs resigned  Speaking to the media, Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the coalition government by offering bribes to the legislators. DK Suresh also alleged that the MLAs were taken to Mumbai since it is a BJP-ruled state. "The MLAs have been lodged in a hotel in Mumbai. They have booked an entire floor of rooms for them. The Mumbai police has provided protection to these MLAs. Clearly the BJP government there is helping the MLAs. If the BJP was not involved, why take the MLAs to a BJP-ruled state? The BJP is luring the MLAs with promises of money and power," DK Suresh added.  .@BJP4India is a disgrace to our country & they have no respect for Parliamentary democracy. RSS did not respect freedom movement & BJP is not respecting our constitution. They are pseudo nationalists with ulterior motive of destabilizing India's unity. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019 @BJP4Karnataka had not got any mandate from the people even if percentage of votes are considered. Independents & BSP MLAs had supported our coalition govt. We have numbers to prove majority but @BJP4Karnataka is continuously trying to topple our govt. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019 @BJP4India is misusing central govt & its agencies to threaten our MLAs. It is not just by @BJP4Karnataka leaders but also by dictators @AmitShah & @narendramodi. They are nothing but the traitors of this vibrant country. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019 @BJP4India had been trying to destabilize since last one year & this is their sixth attempt. They will surely fail again & will have to face the wrath of the public. They are unable to digest the fact that our coalition govt is trying to ensure social justice & regional balance. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019 Our ministers have voluntarily resigned to help save the government. We will try to accommodate those MLAs who have resigned & interested to be the ministers. We will reshuffle the cabinet keeping regional aspirations & social obligations in mind. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019 I, on behalf of @INCIndia party, request all those who have resigned to reconsider their decision & strengthen our government. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 8, 2019

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All Karnataka Cong ministers to resign, BJP now has more numbers in Assembly

Politics

At this point, the coalition in Karnataka has 105 MLAs, and the magic number at this point is 106. But it all hinges on one independent, and one 7-time Cong MLA.

Ragamalika Karthikeyan

Theja Ram

Cong leaders speak to media addressing crisis

In the 14 months since the Karnataka Assembly elections, the state government has been in crisis countless times. But on Monday, it looks like the Congress-JD(S) combine in the state has lost its majority. With the resignation of 13 MLAs (yet to be accepted), and the defection of one independent MLA to the BJP, the coalition’s number stands at 105 (including the Speaker) at the time of writing. The halfway mark in the House now reduced to 211, is 106. The Congress-JD(S) coalition, in a last ditch attempt to save the government, has decided that all sitting 22 Congress ministers will resign to make way for the rebels. It is unclear if JD(S) ministers and the Chief Minister himself will resign. However, sources say that the BJP has also promised Cabinet berths to the rebel MLAs, so whether the coalition’s matching offer will be taken up by the defectors will have to be seen. By the looks of it, the BJP has the numbers – 105 of their own legislators, plus one independent – H Nagesh from Mulbagal. However, the BJP is yet to stake claim to form the government, though it does have the numbers. And the party is not likely to do so immediately due to two important reasons. One – the Independent MLA Nagesh can swing back to the Congress, if DK Shivakumar manages to persuade him. Second – the Congress is confident of convincing Ramalinga Reddy and two other MLAs to come back to their fold. And so the BJP may wait for two or three more resignations, before they stake claim. Ramalinga Reddy is a seven-time MLA of the Congress, and party sources say that he may be convinced to stay on if the party gives him the Bengaluru Development Ministry – a portfolio currently held by Deputy Chief Minister and Congressman Dr G Parameshwara. With Parameshwara – and in fact the entire Cabinet – deciding to offer their resignation to accommodate the rebels, the party is confident that Ramalinga Reddy and his supporters will stay on to save the government. But at the end of the day, it is likely that it will come down to a numbers game – and one MLA here or there will be the difference between who will rule Karnataka, or whether the state will see mid-term elections soon. 

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Bengaluru sees spike in dengue, health officials blame civic body for waste accumulation

Health

The number of cases reported since the start of the year in the entire state has been estimated to be over 3000, more than half of which have been reported from Bengaluru alone.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Image for representation

Dengue fever is not new to the state, rather every year around this season, there are a number of cases of dengue fever reported. However, this year, there seems to have been a rather large spike in the number of cases of dengue fever seen in Karnataka, with particular focus on an increase in the number of dengue fever cases reported in Bengaluru alone. Despite several awareness measures being taken, what is contributing to the rise of cases of dengue?  As per the data released by the Government of Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare services, the number of cases of dengue in Bengaluru alone from January to June was 531. However, as of Saturday, this number has shot up to 1830. The number of dengue cases reported since the start of the year in the entire state has been estimated to be over 3000. “While some amount of public awareness has been raised, there are still several people who come in without a basic understanding of what dengue is or how it can be prevented. We get several patients who present with symptoms of viral fever or dengue fever each week, a significant number of them come in after having presented with fever for a number of days,” said one official from Victoria Hospital on the condition of anonymity. The official further alleged that the BBMP had not taken enough precautions to reduce the number of cases of dengue.  This is an opinion which several personnel from the public healthcare sector seem to echo. Another official TNM spoke to stated that while awareness measures had been taken, not enough effort had gone into clearing garbage and waste around the city, which may have led to the spike in the number of cases.  “This is not the first time that a disease has spread excessively because of trash that was not properly collected or disposed of. The BBMP should have stepped up its efforts to curb the waste and planned accordingly. Accumulation of such waste leads to more breeding of mosquitoes and that in turn can spread a number of diseases like dengue,” added the official.    Bengaluru’s garbage crisis has been reported on and spoken about for several years now, with several reports noting how toxic the garbage accumulation can be to health.  TNM spoke to Dr Manjunath Hegde, Chief Health Officer (CHO) at the BBMP to find out what the BBMP is doing in this regard. “The problem is that people also need to do their part, we do undertake the efforts to create awareness about the issue and inform people about the preventive measures, however when there is lack of compliance on the public’s part, it becomes difficult,” he said. Furthermore, he added that the BBMP has ensured that all areas in the city are being fumigated to curb the breeding of mosquitoes. When questioned about the garbage issue, however, he merely stated that the BBMP was taking the efforts to clear problematic areas.  Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by one of the five major serotypes (or strains) of the dengue virus. The virus is spread to humans via mosquito bites. Symptoms of the fever typically set in anywhere from three days to two weeks of being exposed to the virus. The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain (classical indication which leads doctors to suspect dengue), while headaches, myalgia (muscle pain) and general fatigue can also be seen in those presenting with the disease. 

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Independent MLA Nagesh withdraws support to govt, coalition number down to 106

Politics

This is the second such time that Nagesh has withdrawn support to the coalition.

Theja Ram

Karnataka Small Scale Industries Minister H Nagesh, who was inducted into the cabinet just weeks ago, has resigned from his post. Nagesh, an independent MLA from Mulbagal, is the fourteenth MLA to withdraw support from the coalition government in Karnataka. Nagesh went to the Raj Bhavan and handed over his letter to Governor Vaju Bhai Vala. Reports suggest that Nagesh will also move to Mumbai, where ten MLAs are holed up at the Sofitel hotel. This is the second such time that Nagesh has withdrawn support to the coalition. Both the independents had withdrawn support in January after they were removed from the cabinet. At the time, Nagesh had told the media that he was withdrawing support as the JD(S)-Congress government had failed to provide a stable government. However, in an attempt to pacify the two independents, the coalition partners inducted both MLAs into the Kumaraswamy cabinet in June. Nagesh, who is a first-time MLA, is a close as associate of Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar. Currently, after 13 resignations the coalition has 107 MLAs. With Nagesh taking back his support to the coalition, the number has gone down to 106. And if Nagesh supports the BJP, then both the coalition and the BJP have 106 members each. However, the Speaker has not yet accepted the resignations of the 13 MLAs. In another update, Congress leader DK Suresh said that all ministers in the cabinet will resign and make way for the rebels, 

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Karnataka govt crisis: BJP simply let warring Cong-JD(S) leaders do their job for them

Politics

There were 2 legendary rivalries in Karnataka politics that were attempted to be buried when this coalition govt was formed. One of them at least has a hand in its fall.

Sowmya Aji

It’s not just the BJP. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy himself thinks his predecessor from the Congress party, Siddaramaiah, has engineered the current crisis that could lead to the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress government in the state. The situation is not propitious for the coalition partners. With 10 Congress-JDS legislators tucked away in Goa, reportedly with a whopping Rs 50 crore each, a ‘comfortable retirement’ promise for some and a ministry for others, the BJP is preparing to move a no-confidence motion against the Kumaraswamy government on the first day of the next state Assembly session, July 12.    Thirteen MLAs have formally submitted resignations to Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar’s office, including three who are still in Bengaluru, but reportedly firm on the reasons for their resignations. These three have clear issues with the coalition government’s functioning, and their own unmet aspirations, but it is unclear if they are in line with the BJP’s moves. “The hawa is in their (BJP’s) favour,” a Congress office-bearer admitted, “We may not be able to save the government this time.” The admission came even as party communications chief Randeep Singh Surjewala made combative allegations against the national ruling party, punning on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name as ‘Mischievously Orchestrated Defections in India.” Kumaraswamy; his father and JD(S) national president HD Deve Gowda; Congress Karnataka in charge KC Venugopal; former CM Siddaramaiah; and Congress troubleshooter DK Shivakumar have all swung into meetings and strategy sessions to stem the tide. But, as the office-bearer contended, unlike earlier attempts by the BJP to bring down this government by poaching MLAs, this time the calls and offers came from the powers-that-be in Delhi. “No local BJP leader is operating. The calls are coming from people we cannot reach or touch in anyway,” the office-bearer said. The BJP is taking advantage of the demoralisation that has settled into the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka after their crushing defeat in the recent Lok Sabha polls, when the coalition managed to win just two of Karnataka’s 28 seats, though, on paper, their combined strength should have won at least 16. The Congress, facing this situation across India, has come to the conclusion that it was Modi and Hindutva that won the election. Kumaraswamy, however, is unwilling to lay the fault at anyone’s door except that of the faction of the Congress party led by Siddaramaiah. He indicated this in several of his press interactions and minced no words when speaking to many people informally. “He (Siddaramaiah) set out to finish me. This (BJP winning 25 seats in Karnataka and an independent winning Mandya) is the result,” he said, just a couple of days before the 11 legislators submitted their resignations. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi, denying any BJP involvement in the situation, stated that it was the Kumaraswamy-Siddaramaiah tussle that was bringing the government down. Siddaramaiah has not commented on it, but Kumaraswamy clearly buys into this argument. Of the 11 legislators involved in the current spate of resignations, at least five are those who can be called card-carrying members of the Siddaramaiah camp. Sources close to Siddaramaiah contend that he is ‘spitting mad’ that some of them have got onto the flight to Goa and resigned, allegedly without consulting him. But that is a contention that even other camps in the Congress find very hard to believe, let alone the JD(S). There were two legendary rivalries in Karnataka politics that were attempted to be buried when this coalition government was formed. One was Siddaramaiah’s bitterness that his former mentor Gowda favoured his son Kumaraswamy and not him. It led to Siddaramaiah being expelled from the JD(S) for ‘anti-party activities’, pushing him into the Congress party. So, when the coalition was formed at the behest of the then-Congress president Rahul Gandhi 14 months ago, Siddaramaiah had to bury this resentment which has characterised him for the last 13 years. The long-standing mutual animosity between him and Kumaraswamy ensured there could be no trust at any level in this government. The other rivalry was between the Gowda family and DK Shivakumar. Shivakumar is publicly seen doing his best to save this government and as having actually put aside the 40-year-old rivalry, to all intents and purposes. Shivakumar has caste in common with the Gowdas, who seem to believe in him more readily than in Siddaramaiah, though this relationship is also not extremely stable. To compound matters, Kumaraswamy and his deputy CM from the Congress party, G Parameshwara, have not been able to manage to gain the trust of their own band of legislators. All the BJP has had to do in this simmering situation is wait and watch for the right moment to dive in. The moment has come now and  BJP has held out the whiff of a strong lure. And the coalition, it appears, is ready to collapse on the heads of its warring leaders. Sowmya Aji is a political journalist who has covered Karnataka for 26 years. Views expressed are the author’s own.

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Will resign if party tells me to do so: Karnataka DyCM Parameshwara

Politics

Former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and other MLAs allegedly resigned due to Parameshwara’s decisions related to Bengaluru development.

Theja Ram

As Karnataka’s political crisis continues to deepen, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister Dr G Parameshwara said that they are trying to save the government, and if the party asks him to resign, he will. “I have called for the meeting of all Congress ministers. We are looking at all options. If the need arises, all Congress ministers will resign to accommodate disgruntled MLAs in the cabinet. See, we are trying to save our government. If the party tells me also to resign, I will also resign. I have held several meetings with MLAs from Bengaluru. I know who attended those meetings and who did not. In fact, in the recent budget, Rs 11,000 crore was allocated for Bengaluru’s development. I don't know what problem you are talking about,” Parameshwara said in a statement.  His statement comes in the wake of allegations that former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and other MLAs from Bengaluru resigned due to Parameshwara’s decisions related to Bengaluru’s development. Speculation was also rife that Ramalinga Reddy demanded to be given the Bengaluru development ministerial post, a portfolio currently held by Parameshwara. Ramalinga Reddy and the three other MLAs from Bengaluru, including ST Somashekar, Byrathi Basavarj and Gopalaiah, are believed to have been upset with Parameshwara ever since he became the Bengaluru Development Minister. A Congress leader earlier said, “Parameshwara is not allowing Bengaluru Mayor Gangambike a free reign in the BBMP. Ramalinga Reddy is one of the most important leaders who controlled the Congress corporators in Bengaluru. Gangambike is his proxy and Parameshwara's decision to change the garbage contracts and curtailing the Mayor's discretionary funds from Rs 150 crore to Rs 40 crore did not sit well with Reddy," a Congress leader said.  On Sunday, Congress and JD(S) leaders met to discuss ministerial berths that could be offered to the rebel leaders who are currently in Mumbai’s Sofitel Hotel, but the rebel leaders have said that they will not withdraw their resignation under any circumstances.  Karnataka’s political upheaval began last week after MLAs Anand Singh and Ramesh Jarkiholi resigned. Soon after, 11 other Congress and JD(S) MLAs tendered their resignations on Saturday and flew to Mumbai, awaiting the Speaker’s decision. The Speaker will be announcing his decision on Tuesday. The strength of the coalition government currently stands at 120, including the Speaker. The coalition has 80 Congress MLAs, 37 JD(S) MLAs and 1 BSP MLA. Two independent MLAs also support the coalition. The BJP’s strength in the Assembly is 105, and the majority mark is 113. If the BJP wishes to come to power, it needs 16 MLAs from the coalition to resign in order to topple the government.

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