11 Karnataka rebel BJP legislators get show-cause notice

BANGALORE - Karnataka assembly Speaker K.G. Bopaiah Friday served notice to 11 legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to explain why they should not be disqualified for indulging in anti-party activities.

The speaker served show-cause notice to the dissidents, asking them to reply by 5 p.m. Sunday on the charge of indulging in anti-party activities, including withdrawing support to the government, legislature secretary B.S. Patil told IANS.

The speaker issued the notice through the legislature secretariat after the ruling party petitioned him late Thursday to invoke the Anti-Defection Act, 1985, against the party’s 14 rebels and five Independents. They submitted a joint letter to Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Wednesday withdrawing support to the government and expressing lack of confidence in the leadership of state Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

The legislators are - Excise Minister M.P. Renukacharya, Gopalakrishna Beluru, Anand Asnotikar, Balachandra Jarkiholi, B.N. Sarvabhouma, Bharamgowda Kage, Y. Sampangi, G.N. Nanjundaswamy, M.V. Nagaraju, Shivan Gowda Nayak and H.S. Shankaralinge Gowda.

The other charges against the rebels are - joining hands with rival Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and Independents to reduce the government to minority and creating political instability in the state.

Yeddyurappa Thursday dropped Asnotikar and Jarkiholi from the council of ministers and Wednesday sacked four Independent ministers — Agriculture Marketing & Small Scale Industries Minister Shivaraj S. Tangadagi, Textile & Sericulture Minister Venkataramanappa, Social Welfare Minister P.M. Narendra Swamy and Youth Services & Prisons Minister D. Sudhakar for revolting against his leadership.

Under the Anti-Defection Act, the dissident legislators face expulsion from the party and disqualification from contesting elections for six years if they defy the party whip and vote against the confidence motion. The chief minister will be moving to prove his majority on the floor of the legislative assembly Oct 11, as directed by the governor.

In the 225-member legislative assembly, including one nominated, the BJP has effectively 117 members, the Congress has 73, the JD-S 28 and Independents six.

After the 14 dissident lawmakers withdrew support, the strength of the ruling party in the assembly has been reduced to 103 — 10 less than the halfway mark of 113 to survive the trust vote.

With three legislators — S.K Bellubbi, Rajugouda Naik and D.B. Patil — breaking away from the rebel group late Thursday, the ruling party still requires seven more votes to win the confidence.

I am hopeful of getting full support. I have prayed to goddess Chamundeshwari to help me in the development of the state without any impediment during the next three years, Yeddyurappa told reporters, after seeking blessings of the goddess at the Chamundeshwari temple at Mysore, about 150 km from here.

Asserting that the clouds hovering over the political climate in Karnataka have started clearing, the chief minister said he prayed to the goddess to also give wisdom to the rebels and return to the party.

In a related development, the party’s senior leader and Rajya Sabha member from the state M. Venkaiah Naidu lashed out at the JD-S for precipitating the political crisis in the state by luring the party’s legislators to revolt against the leadership.

Former state chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and his brother and former minister H.D. Revanna are the villains behind the political drama being enacted in the state. They are mistaken to dream about coming back to power through the back door after bringing down our government, Naidu told reporters, after brain-storming sessions with ministers and other legislators in the city.