BJP high command, K'taka cadre to meet pres in Delhi

BJP high command, K'taka cadre to meet pres in Delhi

PTI | New Delhi

After the controversial trust vote in Karnataka Assembly, the action is set to shift to the capital with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa scheduled to arrive here on Tuesday with his supporting MLAs to meet the President in a bid to prove that he commands majority.

Sources said Yeddyurappa is likely to arrive in the capital with his MLAs in the afternoon. However, with President Pratibha Patil away in Pune, he may have to wait till the evening to meet her.

"Today all BJP MLAs and MPs (from Karnataka) are going to Delhi under the leadership of Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj and L K Advani. We are going to meet the President of India and we are going to explain everything to the President, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister," Yeddyurappa told reporters at the Bangalore airport before leaving for Delhi.

With Speaker K G Bopaiah disqualifying 11 rebel party MLAs and five independents, the strength of the Karnataka Assembly has been reduced to 208. As such the BJP government claims the support of 106 members, two above the halfway mark.

The Karnataka BJP unit as well as some Central leaders of the party have been demanding the recall of Governor H R Bhardwaj. Yeddyurrappa is likely to press this demand when he meets the President, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the BJP core group is scheduled to meet under the chairmanship of the party president at Advani's residence to discuss the situation in Karnataka and decide the future course of action.

M Venkaiah Naidu, who is part of the core group and is handling the crisis in Karnataka, will brief senior leaders on the current situation.

The Union Cabinet is scheduled to meet this evening where the Karnataka issue is likely to come up for discussion.

After the trust vote yesterday, the Governor had sent his report to the Centre calling the events and the vote in the Assembly as "unconstitutional" and "farce" and recommended that the state should be brought under President's rule.

The Union Home Ministry has expressed concern over developments in Karnataka, especially the "abuse" of the anti-defection law by the Speaker.

Home Ministry sources said there was no no question of disqualifying Independents under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution or for that matter the dissident BJP MLAs even before the vote.

The Karnataka High Court will today hear a petition moved by the 16 MLAs challenging their disqualification.