AMN / BANGALURU / NEW DELHI
Political crisis continues in Karnataka following resignations of 9 MLAs from Congress and three from JD(S). Senior Congress leaders have been holding hectic parleys in Bengaluru since morning to defuse the situation. Earlier in the day today, the Congress National General Secretary K C Venugopal and other state leaders held series of meetings and tried to reach out to the rebel MLAs.
Both the alliance partners, Congress and the JD(S) have convened legislative party meetings. The state Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who arrived in Bengaluru this evening, headed to a hotel where senior leaders of the Congress are likely to meet him. JD(S) senior leader and minister G T Devegowda informed that a meeting of party legislators has been called tonight in the party office. He also disclosed that rebels will be accommodated in the cabinet to save the Government.
The Karnataka state Congress has called a legislative party meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the political crisis arising out of the resignation of nine of its party legislators.
The meeting, which will be chaired by former Chief Minister Siddramaiah, is likely to discuss ways to save the coalition Government. A letter has also been forwarded to all the legislators with a caution that their absence in the legislative party meeting will be viewed seriously.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Congress leader and member of legislative council, Mari Thibbe Gowda today met rebel Congress leader, Ramesh Jarakiholi at the Sofitel hotel in Mumbai. Eight rebel Congress leaders including Jarakiholi and three rebel Janata Dal (secular) MLAs are staying at the hotel since last night. Talking to reporters, Mari Thibbe Gowda said, he only met Jarakiholi and urged him to take decision which will be in the best interest of Karnataka.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge said that the party leaders are in constant touch with the rebels and efforts are on to persuade them to withdraw their resignations.
Meanwhile, BJP leader R Ashok has said that they have no role to play in the present crisis in the Congress-JD(S) Coalition Government and will keep a distant watch. The Speaker Ramesh Kumar has said that he will look into the resignation letters of the MLAs on Tuesday.