‘JD(S) willing to give up CM post to Congress': DK Shivakumar claims
Karnataka Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday said that the JD(S) is willing to "make any sacrifice" and that HD Kumaraswamy is willing to give up the Chief Minister post to save the coalition government.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, DK Shivakumar said, "The JD(S) has said that they are willing to make any sacrifice to save the coalition. JD(S) leaders spoke with me, Parameshwara (Deputy Chief Minister) and Siddaramaiah and told us that they are willing to give up the CM post to the Congress. They [JD(S)] have spoken to the high command and conveyed the message as well," DK Shivakumar said.
However, JD-S spokesman Ramesh Babu denied claims that such a decision was taken by the party leadership.
"I am not aware of this development. We are busy preparing for the debate and vote on the confidence motion on Monday to save our government first," Babu told IANS.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao also refuted Shivakumar's claims, reports News18.
"We are going in for the trust motion with a lot of confidence. We are sure to win and expose the BJP on the floor of the house. Neither there is any such proposal (as claimed by Shivakumar) nor are we thinking of something like this," Dinesh Gundu Rao said.
The crucial trust vote, which is set to determine whether the coalition can prove majority, is slated to take place on Monday.
Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had ended Friday's discussion on the trust vote with the promise from the coalition that the MLAs would vote on the confidence motion on Monday.
The current political crisis began after 16 MLAs — 13 from the Congress and three from JD(S) — resigned earlier this month and independents R Shankar and H Nagesh withdrew their support to the coalition government. However, rebel leader Ramalinga Reddy, on Friday, stated that he would support the Congress in its decisions.
The strength of the Karnataka Assembly is 224 including the Speaker. Currently, the coalition has 101 MLAs on its side. This was after 16 MLAs resigned and the two independents withdrew the support from the coalition. One of the Congress MLAs, B Nagendra, has been hospitalised. If he fails to show up to vote, then the coalition's numbers will come down to 100. The BJP has 107 (105 MLAs plus two independents).