Ready To Face No-Confidence Motion 'Bravely': Karnataka Cabinet

As the political crisis in Karnataka deepens and the government hangs by a thread, the state Cabinet Thursday said it was ready to face a no-confidence motion "bravely".

The cabinet that met under the leadership of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said it was ready to face a no-confidence motion, if moved by the opposition BJP. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the government would survive.

"Political developments and the crisis were discussed. The factors behind the on-going crisis and the steps to resolve it were also discussed," Rural Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

Gowda claimed that this was the sixth or seventh attempt to destabilise the government.

"It can be called as continuous assault rather, by the BJP, using the central government.

"We have always withstood all their assaults and this time the situation is more serious than previous attempts...but after considering all pros and cons, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the ministers
have resolved to face it bravely and withstand it unitedly," he added.

The resignation of 16 Congress-JD(S) MLAs has pushed the 13-month old coalition government to the brink of collapse.

Of the 16 MLAs who have resigned, 13 are from the Congress and three from the JD(S).

The coalition's strength in the House is 116 (Congress 78, JD(S) 37 and BSP one), besides the speaker.

With the support of the two independents, who resigned from the ministry on Monday, the opposition BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member House, where the halfway mark is 113.

If the resignations of the 16 MLAs are accepted, the ruling coalition's tally will be reduced to 100 and the BJP can claim the majority.

Asked if the government will seek trust vote, Gowda said, "If the need arises, we will do it, but now opposition is in urgency. So if they have so much urgency let them move the no-confidence motion, we will face it."

BJP has demanded resignation of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, saying his government has "lost majority".

(With Inputs from PTI)