Bengaluru: A powerful BJP MLA Umesh Katti has dropped a bombshell by declaring that the JDS-Congress coalition government in Karnataka will fall in the next 24 hours.
A former minister and an eight-time MLA Katti made this statement in Belgaum on Wednesday.
Speaking to media before a meeting of the BJP chaired by party state chief BS Yeddyurappa, he said, “15 rebel Congress MLAs are in touch with us. They will quit and the HD Kumaraswamy government will collapse in the next 24 hours. There will be a BJP government next week”.
However, Yeddyurappa downplayed it claiming that he is not interested in toppling the state government. “I have no desire to topple the government. We are in the opposition party. We will continue there,” he said.
After HD Kumaraswamy expanded his Cabinet by inducting eight Congress MLAs on last Saturday, those who missed the berth have expressed their resentment in public leading to speculations over the life of the alliance government.
According to some BJP leaders, 6-8 Congress MLAs are in touch with them and they are waiting for more to join the gang of rebels.
State Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao has challenged the BJP to topple the government if they have numbers with them. He dared Katti to resign from his MLA post if the government does not fall in the next 24 hours.
Speaking to News18, he said “The BJP is frustrated. It is trying everything for power. But no Congress MLA is ready to go with them. After a humiliating defeat in recent polls, the BJP is declining across India. Who will go with a losing party? Just to keep disillusioned BJP MLAs with them, party leaders make such statements periodically. No need to give much importance to them”.
At least half a dozen aspirants who could not make it to the Cabinet initially raised a banner of revolt. They seem to have softened their stand after state Congress leaders led by former chief minister Siddaramaiah spoke to them promising ministerial berths in future.
The BJP has been threatening to unseat Kumaraswamy ever since he came to power by toppling Yeddyurappa’s 56-hour government after May Assembly elections.
In the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the ruling Congress-JDS together have 120 MLAs as against BJP’s 104.
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