Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that Congress was seeking the disqualification of 11 rebel MLAs, currently lodged at a Mumbai hotel, for their "anti-party" activities.
He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a habit of destabilising the government, adding the rebel MLAs had colluded with the saffron party to bring down the state government, according to news agency ANI.
Congress MLAs, who submitted their resignation to the Speaker's office on Saturday, gave the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting a miss on Tuesday, despite Siddaramaiah warning legislators of consequences.
Addressing the media after the conclusion of the CLP, the former CM said the Congress will file a petition before the speaker to get them disqualified.
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"We are also requesting the Speaker to take legal action under the anti-defection law," he said, adding, "We are requesting him in our letter to not just disqualify them but also bar them from contesting election for 6 years."
"People have given more votes to us. Both JD(S) and Congress together got more than 57% of votes," Siddaramaiah said.
On Tuesday morning, news agency PTI reported that 14 MLAs of Karnataka's ruling coalition are at a place about 90 km from Pune, and will wait for the Speaker's decision on their resignations before taking a call on proceeding to Goa or returning to Bengaluru.
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The 14 MLAs, at the centre of the crisis in the JD(S)-Congress government, had been staying in a luxury hotel in Mumbai and left on Monday evening for Goa.
But they are presently at a location 90 km from Pune, towards Satara, in Maharashtra, sources said.
If their resignations are accepted, they may even go back to Bengaluru, they added.
(With PTI inputs)
