Bengaluru, July 15 (IANS) The Karnataka Assembly was on Monday adjourned for two days and will reassemble on July 18 when Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will move a confidence motion against the backdrop of resignations tendered by 16 MLAs of the ruling Congress-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) coalition and withdrawal of support by two Independent legislators.
The decision to adjourn the House till the confidence motion is moved by the government came after a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the House, convened by Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar.
The Speaker adjourned the House as the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said its 105 legislators would not attend the session till the trust vote was taken up on Thursday.
“In a democracy, as no legislative session or business can be held without the presence and participation of the opposition members, I adjourn the House till Thursday morning to take up the trust vote,” Kumar told the lawmakers and adjourned the Monday’s session without conducting any business.
The BJP welcomed the adjournment and thanked the Speaker for upholding the democratic norms.
“As the shaky coalition government has been reduced to a minority with the resignation of its 16 rebel legislators and two Independents withdrawing support to it, the Chief Minister has no moral right to remain in the office and no business can be conducted in the Assembly without proving majority in such a situation,” BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa told reporters later.
The Chief Minister will move the trust motion against the resignations tendered by 16 MLAs of the ruling coalition – 13 of the Congress and 3 of the JD(S).
The Speaker has not yet accepted their resignations, saying he would need to study those to ascertain that they are in proper format.
Of the 16 rebels, 15 have petitioned the Supreme Court on July 10 and July 13 for its directive to the Speaker to accept their resignations from their assembly segments without delay. The apex court will resume the hearing in the case on Tuesday.
In the 225-member Assembly, the Congress-JD(S) alliance, along with the support of lone legislators each of BSP and a regional party and an Independent, have 118 MLAs, including the Speaker. This is just five more than the required majority mark.
If all the 18 legislators, including 16 rebels and 2 Independents, do not attend the session, the effective strength of the House for voting will be 205, including 105 of the BJP and excluding the Speaker and the nominated member.
“As the new halfway mark will be 103 for a simple majority, the ruling combine with 100, including one from the supporting party BSP will fall 3 short off it (halfway mark) to win the trust vote and certain to be defeated,” according to BJP spokesman G. Madhusudana.
–IANS
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