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Karnataka: Yediyurappa wins trust vote, Speaker resigns; Assembly passes Appropriation Bill

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B. S. Yeddyurappa

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa won the trust vote comfortably today (Monday, July 29) after a turbulent three weeks during which 17 MLAs of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition resigned their seats, reducing their 14-month old government led by HD Kumaraswamy to a minority.

The Speaker also resigned his post after the trust vote today. “Sometimes we have had to take some harsh decision, we are small people. We should try and not disrespect the chair that we sit on… People come and go, chief Ministers come and go, be good and do good,” Speaker KR Ramesh said before he resigned.

The Speaker had Sunday disqualified 11 Congress and three JD(S) rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law, thus ending their hopes of being inducted into the BJP government. He had disqualified three others earlier. 

 “The way I am being pressurised mentally as Speaker to deal with all these things, I am pushed into a sea of depression,” the Speaker had said after announcing the disqualification of the rebels yesterday.

The decision brought down the strength of the Assembly, reducing the majority mark in the assembly to pave the way for the newly formed BJP government to win the trust vote smoothly today.

Yediyurappa – who became Chief Minister for the fourth time – said he would not indulge in “politics of vengeance” as he believed in the “forget and forgive” principle. The Congress and the JDS have accused the BJP of horse-trading — an allegation the party has denied.

Ahead of the trust vote, Yediyurappa,  said he was given the chance to be back in this seat “for a special reason”. 

“If you think that we took a decision that will affect the people in a bad way, you can reach out to us,” he added. The 76-year-old had started the day with prayers at a temple in Bengaluru. A superstitious man, he has reverted to the earlier English spelling of his name “Yediyurappa” instead of “Yeddyurappa” apparently influenced by numerology.

The change became public on July 26 in his letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala, staking claim to form the government, and later, in the official invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP leader as Karnataka Chief Minister.

The short debate on the trust motion saw sharp exchange of barbs. JD(S) leader and ousted CM HD Kumaraswamy said: “All that has happened with the rebels, with power – all this will go down in history… The rebels have been brought to the streets. They had special flight last time, (this time) I hear that they are getting normal flights.”

Congress leader Siddaramaiah attacked Yediyurappa calling the BJP government “immoral.”

“You have no mandate of the people,” Siddaramaiah told Yediyurappa. “Where is the mandate in your favour … where is the majority … Yediyurappa has become the chief minister with just 105 members,” Siddaramaiah said.

“Let us see how long you will be (the chief minister). … I want you to be (CM) for the full term but I don’t think you will be able to complete it (the term),” Siddaramaiah told Yediyurappa.

“Unfortunately, Yediyurappa has never been CM with people’s mandate. Where’s the mandate? You didn’t have it in 2008, 2018 or even now. When he took oath, there were 222 MLAs in House, where did BJP have 112 MLAs for majority? They had 105 seats. That is not mandate,” the Congress leader remarked.

Earlier, while moving the confidence motion, Yediyurappa said, “My becoming the chief minister is according to expectations of the people.”

He also vowed not to indulge in vendetta politics and said, “I will not indulge in politics of vengeance. I believe in the forget and forgive principle.”

Yediyurappa’s one-line motion that the House expresses confidence in the ministry headed by him was passed with a voice vote. He said the administrative machinery had collapsed and his priority was to bring it back on track.

The move brought down the strength of the House to 208, and the majority mark to 105 – the number which BJP has in the Assembly. The coalition could scrape up only 99 votes against the BJP’s 105.

Also Read: Sharad Pawar accuses BJP of using ED, CBI threatening netas to defect

As the numbers game favoured the BJP government in trust vote today, the Congress and JDS did not press for division on the one-line motion moved by Yediyurappa. The House expressed confidence in his three-day-old Ministry. Since the house did not press for division, Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar declared that the motion had been passed by a voice vote.

Yediyurappa had said he was confident of proving majority in the house. “On Monday, I will prove my majority 100%,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.

All the lawmakers have been disqualified from the assembly till the end of its term, which calls for by-elections in all 16 constituencies. The disqualified lawmakers said they would challenge the Speaker’s decision in the Supreme Court today.

Also Read: Black money detected from ‘group with political links’ across 13 premises

The BJP moved swiftly after the Speaker disqualified three lawmakers on Thursday, staking claim to form government and pushing for a trust vote today. State BJP chief BS Yediyurappa took charge of the government as the Chief Minister for the fourth time on Friday.

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At Congress meet, Kharge blames internal bickering, statements against own party leaders for election losses

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that the internal bickering in the party and statements against own party leaders were among the reasons for the loss of the grand old party in the recently concluded Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Noting that statements against own party leaders harm the party a lot, Kharge said that tough decisions will have to be taken, accountability be fixed and shortcomings removed by learning lessons from the election results.

In his address during the Congress Working Committee meeting at the AICC headquarters, Kharge highlighted the EVMs issue and said that the EVMs have made the electoral process suspect, stressing it is the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

“Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” the Congress president said.

“Therefore, it is important that we strictly follow discipline. We have to remain united under all circumstances. The party also has the weapon of disciplining. But we do not want to put our comrades in any bondage,” he said.

“Therefore, everyone needs to think that a victory of the Congress party is our victory and a defeat is our defeat. Our strength lies in the strength of the party,” the Congress president said.

He also noted that the Congress made a comeback with new enthusiasm riding on its performance in the Lok Sabha polls and said the election results of three states were not as per the party’s expectations.

“INDIA parties formed the government in 2 out of 4 states. But our performance was below expectation. This is a challenge for us in terms of the future,” he said.

“We need to immediately learn from the election results and correct all our weaknesses and shortcomings at the organisational level. These results are a message for us,” he said.

Kharge noted that the atmosphere was in the Congress’ favour during the elections but pointed out that just the atmosphere being in its favour does not guarantee victory.

“We will have to learn to convert the atmosphere into results. What is the reason that we are not able to take advantage of the atmosphere?” he said.

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BJP says it stands for credibility of promises under PM Modi, Congress for crisis

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

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The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.

“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.

Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.

He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.

He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.

“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.

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Maharashtra elections: Congress says Mahayuti understands its exit is certain

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

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The Congress on Wednesday asserted the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has understood that its exit is certain as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is strong and that all its candidates are in a strong position for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

The Congress leader stated that the party is fully prepared and that its ally parties in Maharashtra are strong. He mentioned that the seat-sharing negotiations occurred in a positive atmosphere and that the ruling party has recognized that their exit is inevitable.

“All the candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in a strong position. The people here have decided to support Congress and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.

He also noted that the alliance’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was impressive. “Wherever Congress contested, our candidates won 80 percent of the seats. We expect this trend to continue,” he added.

Pilot acknowledged that there have been some differences among party members regarding specific seats but assured that those issues would be resolved in the next 2-3 days, ensuring there would be only one candidate from the MVA for each seat.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in charge of Maharashtra, slammed the BJP, claiming that the party is undermining its alliances in the state.

“The BJP is dismantling its alliances. They are forcefully converting alliance partner candidates into their own party candidates. The people will respond to this,” he stated while speaking to reporters.

Earlier on October 26, Chennithala alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.

Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

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