Bengaluru | The wobbly coalition government in Karnataka suffered a jolt on Monday after Congress MLA from Vijayanagar Anand Singh resigned from the Assembly.
“Yes. I have resigned. Today morning, I submitted the resignation,” Singh said.
When told that Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar has not confirmed the resignation, Singh said, “Is it so? Then I will resign again.”
Singh said he was resigning in protest against the government decision to sell land to JSW Steel in Sandur taluk of Ballari district at low prices, and to protect the interests of people of his constituency.
The BJP, which is short of eight MLAs to form the government, has been making attempts to woo Congress legislators. The BJP has 105 members in the 224 elected members of the House. They require 113 sets in the Assembly to form a government.
Moreover, it is said that more than 20 MLAs are unhappy, as they expected a Cabinet position when the Chief Minister had expanded the cabinet.
The ruling party has time and again accused the BJP of horse trading in the state. BJP Karnataka chief Yeddyurappa had said that they were not attempting to destabilise the government, but if it falls on its own accord, the BJP will seek to form the new one.
JD(S) leader and Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, who is in the US for the foundation laying ceremony of a temple, tweeted that he was aware of the developments taking place in the state.
“The foundation laying of Kalabhairaveshwara Temple is going on at New Jersey under the aegis of Swamiji. I am watching all the developments from here. BJP is day dreaming to destabilise the government,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.
Singh had recently held a press conference in Ballari against the sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel.
Singh had stated that protecting the interest of the district was more important than the party and had hinted he would resign.
It is speculated that he would join the BJP.
At the height of dissidence in the Congress last year, Singh had disappeared and was incommunicado.
However, he surfaced and showed his allegiance to the party.
Earlier in January, he had come to blows with another Congress MLA J N Ganesh at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Ganesh had accused him of finishing him politically. A badly injured Singh was later admitted to hospital.
Reports were rife that at least six more MLAs from Congress would also rebel against their party.
(With PTI inputs)
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