Bengaluru: Responding to the withdrawal of support for the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition government in Karnataka by 2 independent MLAs H Nagesh and R Shankar, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that he is not worried and the government is stable.
Addressing the media outside the Kumara Krupa Guest House, Kumaraswamy said, “What is going to happen if two MLAs withdraw their support? What will be the numbers? I am totally relaxed. I know my strength. The government is stable. I don’t want to do any counter strategy. From one week your channels are running the same story. I am enjoying it. They (MLAs in Mumbai) are in touch with me, why do you worry?”
Meanwhile, the state Congress has also stated that they are confident that the coalition government in Karnataka was stable.
Speaking to ANI, G Parameshwara, Deputy CM, said, “We have been saying that BJP is luring our MLAs through money and power but their attempts to destabilise the government will fail. Our government is stable.”
The two MLAs who withdrew their support had gone incommunicado two days ago and appeared before the media in Mumbai.
This brings the number of the coalition down to 118 minus the Speaker. The BJP, meanwhile, has 104 members and two independents with this latest move. For the BJP to form a simple majority in the house, the quorum needs to be brought down to 210.
R Shankar from the Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha (KPJP), won from Ranebennur after defeating former Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly K B Koliwad of Congress.
Shankar had kept changing his loyalties during the no-confidence motion in May 2018. However, the Congress managed to get him back on their side and he was sworn in as the Minister of Forest and Environment. He was removed from the post in December 2018.
Meanwhile, H Nagesh was elected from Mulbagal in Kolar in the State Assembly elections. Nagesh had contested the election as an independent candidate after he lost the favour of the local Congress leadership. However, he emerged victorious after the Congress candidate from the seat was disqualified due to wrong documents.
Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar confirmed that the three Congress MLAs had camped in a hotel in Mumbai and were speaking to BJP leaders setting off speculation that the BJP is planning to upstage the coalition government in the state.
