Hours after at least 11 legislators belonging to the ruling coalition in Karnataka submitted their resignation to the Speaker of the house, Congress spokesperson Randeep Sujewala launched into a tirade against the BJP saying, "A new symbol of horse trading politics has emerged in the country, MODI - Mischievously Orchestrated Defections in India.'
On Saturday evening, Surjewala addressed the media and said the BJP had failed to digest the defeat it received at the hands of Congress-JD(S) in Karnataka over a year ago.
"They are using their financial might to buy our legislators," he alleged.
"They are trying to lure our MLAs and even pressurising them to join the BJP," he said, adding, "there are at least 12 states where the saffron party had tried to topple elected governments."
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"If the protectors of the constitution will become its violators, who will protect," he said and reminded the oath Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken as an elected parliamentarian.
"The new word for 'aaya ram gaya ram' is MODI -- mischievously orchestrated defections in India. The Karnataka government which is a joint government having complete majority under our democratic setup is now being sought to be pulled down by defections and resignations," Surjewala told reporters.
"MLAs are being bought in broad daylight. We deprecate the efforts of the BJP to buy over legislators, to pressurise legislators, to bring down an elected government in Karnataka," he said, asserting that the BJP has made such moves in other states in the past as well.
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The 'aaya ram, gaya ram' phenomenon refers to the practice of MLAs defecting to other parties.
The Congress-JD(S) government has been on the edge ever since the two parties joined hands in a post-poll set up in Karnataka with HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister. Just Last week, two Congress legislators had quit the assembly submitting their resignation letters to the speaker.
(With inputs from PTI)
