Dramatic events unfolded in Karnataka as two independent MLAs withdrew their support for the Congress-JDS coalition government on Tuesday.
The Congress accused the BJP of bribing MLAs R. Shankar and H. Nagesh, who withdrew their support, and lodging them at a hotel in Mumbai. Both Shanker and Nagesh had supported the government during its turbulent times earlier. Shankar was removed from his cabinet position of minister of forest department recently.
The loss of two MLAs does not hurt the government right now, as the coalition has maintained majority in the assembly. Of the 224-member Karnataka assembly, the JDS-Congress coalition has the support of 118 lawmakers. The majority mark of the state assembly is 113; BJP has 104.
Meanwhile, the BJP has shifted its MLAs to a resort in Haryana's Nuh district near the national capital, PTI reported.
BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and other senior leaders like Shobha Karandlaje are among the 104 MLAs staying put in the ITC Grand Bharat resort in Nuh district since Monday.
The sources said the BJP legislators have been shifted to the resort in an attempt to keep the flock together and thwart any poaching attempt by the Congress-JD(S) combine.
"We are staying in the resort. We don't know how long we are going to be here," Shettar told PTI.
According to media reports, six to eight Congress MLAs are ready to cross over to the BJP, and some lawmakers of the ruling coalition having gone incommunicado.
On Monday, both the ruling Congress-JDS coalition and opposition BJP traded charges of making a renewed bid to poach MLAs.
Rubbishing reports about the BJP attempting 'Operation Lotus' to topple the coalition government in Karnataka, state party chief Yeddyurappa had said there was no truth in it and alleged that the Congress-JD(S) combine was trying to lure opposition MLAs.
'Operation Lotus' is a reference to the BJP's alleged bid to lure several opposition MLAs to defect, to ensure stability of its then government headed by Yeddyurappa in 2008.
(With inputs from PTI)
