The BJP will press Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to seek trust vote in the Assembly on Monday, state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said Saturday.
The former chief minister asserted that the Congress-JD(S) coalition government has lost majority and its collapse was imminent.
In a surprise move amid the existential crisis faced by his government, Kumaraswamy had on Friday announced in the state Assembly that he had voluntarily decided to seek a trust vote to end the "confusion" caused by resignations of rebel MLAs and requested the Speaker to fix a time for the same.
Yeddyurappa said that the Chief Minister "must move the confidence motion Monday itself".
Advertisement
"Monday morning at Business Advisory Committee meeting we will advise that Chief Minister's commitment should be fulfilled," he said.
According to sources, at the Business Advisory Committee meeting on Friday, Kumaraswamy had proposed that the trust vote be held on Wednesday.
However, no decision was taken as the principal opposition BJP did not attend the meeting.
The coalition government is facing a serious crisis now with 16 MLAs - 13 of the Congress and three of the JD(S) - resigning their assembly membership.
Besides, two independent legislators, who were made ministers recently to provide stability to the government, have quit the ministry and withdrawn support.
Advertisement
Pointing out that Kumaraswamy has clearly lost the majority, Yeddyurappa said it was better for him to resign and allow a new government to take over to work for the people of the state.
"The Chief Minister himself has said in the Assembly that without the support of MLAs, he would not like to continue and hence would be moving a motion seeking trust vote.
"Let us wait till Monday if he is going to move confidence motion we have no objection. We will wait till Monday," he added.
The Supreme Court, hearing a petition by ten of the 16 rebel MLAs, had on Friday restrained Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar from taking any decision till next Tuesday on the resignation and disqualification of the legislators.
To a question about the Congress trying to persuade rebel Congress MLA Nagaraj to withdraw his resignation, the BJP leader said when the legislator himself has moved the apex court and when the plea has been admitted, "I don't think he will go back".
"Some people may have tried to put pressure. I heard that D K Shivakumar was at his residence since 5 am. I feel that as they have produced affidavit before the Supreme Court, Nagraj or Sudhakar cannot go back and they will not go back," he added.
With Congress intensifying efforts to woo back its disgruntled MLAs, Nagraj has hinted that he might consider withdrawing his resignation and also said he would try to persuade others.
Advertisement
The ruling coalition's total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member House, where the half-way mark is 113.
If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted, the coalition's tally will be reduced to 100.
(PTI)
