Missing Congress MLAs push Karnataka’s coalition govt to the brink

After eight MLAs skip Governor’s address Wednesday, Congress calls meeting Friday, warns it will disqualify MLAs who do not attend.

BJP legislators raise slogans on the second day of the Budget Session of Assembly at Vidhan Soudha, in Bengaluru | PTI

Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka faces the grim prospect of its finance bill (state budget) being defeated, in the wake of at least eight Congress MLAs staying away from the assembly session Wednesday.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who also holds the finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the state budget Friday. But before the budget, the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has called for a meeting Friday morning, for which the party has served notices to the MLAs who did not turn up on the opening day of the budget session Wednesday.

This is the second warning, in less than a week, that the CLP leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah has issued, warning the MLAs that if they do not attend the legislature meeting, the party would take steps to get them disqualified.

The Congress had first issued a whip directing all its MLAs to be present for the Governor’s address to a joint sitting of both houses Wednesday, but eight MLAs did not turn up. Three of the MLAs, however, provided reasons for their absence from the House, while the other five are known to be party rebels.

If the five continue to remain absent when the finance bill comes up for voting in the House after the debate on the budget, the Congress would be reduced to 75 MLAs from 80 and the strength of the coalition would fall to 113 legislators from 118, just about a majority in the now 222-member House.

The Karnataka assembly is a 224-member House but two seats are vacant. The BJP has a strength of 104 MLAs and has the support of two Independents who switched sides last month.

Speculation rife that Congress-JD (S) govt in the doldrums

The wafer-thin majority that the Congress-JD(S) coalition enjoys has given rise to intense speculation in Karnataka that the government is in the doldrums.

The BJP has, however, made it clear that it has no intention of moving a no-confidence motion because of the finance bill, which could end up as an informal floor test.

The defeat of a finance bill means the chief minister will have to resign.

The coalition will be safer if the Congress either gets the five MLAs to resign or disqualified as this would reduce the strength of the assembly to 217. The coalition will then have a bigger majority.

In addition, Kumaraswamy has publicly insisted that his government is safe as, he claimed, some BJP legislators are in touch with him.

Sources told ThePrint that at least five BJP legislators, including sugar baron and Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti and the Ballari mining baron G. Karunakara Reddy, who is the Harapanahalli MLA, may switch to the Congress if the BJP tries to bring down the government.

“Nothing will happen to my government. BJP MLAs are also in touch with me,” Kumaraswamy told a select group of journalists two days ago.

Siddaramaiah later told reporters at the Vidhan Soudha: “If the BJP is claiming that the government has lost its majority, why is it not moving a no-confidence motion against the government? The BJP is basically uttering falsehoods by making such claims.”

The BJP has been upping the ante in the state. On Wednesday, party MLAs walked into the well of the House, when Governor Vajubhai Vala began his address, shouting that there was no effective government in the state. The Governor had to then confine his speech to the first and last paragraphs and the House was adjourned.

On Thursday, the BJP once again staged a dharna in the well of the House, forcing another adjournment.

For the ruling coalition, however, the bigger question is if the Congress can keep its house in order so that the government is not toppled before the end of the budget session.

The missing five

Of the MLAs who didn’t turn up for the Governor’s address, five have not been seen even in their home turfs for a while.

Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, the leader of the rebel pack, has been up in arms ever since he was dropped from the state cabinet in December last year. While Jarkiholi enjoys a lot of support and clout in his region, he was absent from the flag-hoisting ceremony on Republic Day on 26 January.

The Congress has been left wondering about his next plan of action.

The BJP had been hopeful that Jarkiholi would bring along at least 12 to 14 Congress MLAs “as promised” but that hasn’t materialised.

The Athani MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, seen as another of the rebels, was last seen for a brief while during the flag-hoisting ceremony in his constituency but he has remained largely incommunicado since then.

Chincholi MLA Umesh Jadhav is very popular in his constituency, mainly due to his development work such as clean drinking water and good roads. The Congress firmly believes that Jadhav is on its side but his absence from the state legislature Wednesday may show otherwise.

Another of the Congress MLAs absent Wednesday was the Ballari Rural legislator B. Nagendra, who is considered to be close to mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy.

Nagendra had switched from the BJP to the Congress before the assembly elections in 2018. He is reportedly upset as not only are his aides not in the running for Lok Sabha poll tickets, he was also not considered for a cabinet post.

Kampli MLA J.N. Ganesh has been absconding ever since he allegedly assaulted fellow party MLA Anand Singh on 20 January when the Congress legislators were holed up in a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

The other three

Of the other three missing from the assembly, B.C. Patil from Hirekerur is allegedly considering joining the rebels. His camp, however, said that Patil missed the Governor’s address as he is busy arranging his daughter’s wedding.

Senior Congress leader Rohan Baig was also absent but the party was informed that the former state minister was in Delhi arranging an event for minorities.

The newly-elected MLA from Jayanagar, Sowmya Reddy, too gave the session a miss Wednesday but she later told the media that she had a meeting with the All India Mahila Congress Chief Susmita Deb and that it had been communicated to the Speaker.

The Congress MLA Anand Singh, injured in the assault by J.N. Ganesh, was seen speaking to MLAs at the assembly lounge for a few minutes but was later back in hospital complaining of severe body ache.

The possibilities

The Congress was confident that its MLAs would not defy its whip for Wednesday but the absence could spell trouble for the party.

The BJP is keeping its options open. One of its strategies, an insider said, was to defeat the finance bill by getting legislators from the ruling alliance to vote against the budget.

The other option being explored is to bring down the strength of the Assembly by convincing at least 12 ruling party MLAs to resign. That would bring the House strength down to 210.

That would give the BJP (104 MLAs), which has the support of two independents, a simple majority.

But all is not well within the BJP too as two of its MLAs — Hungund MLA Doddanagouda and B. Chandrababu from Holalkere — were absent Wednesday.