BJP has only 105 MLAs, where is the majority, asks Siddaramaiah

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday (July 27) said that the government of the BJP in Karnataka was not “constitutionally or ethically formed” and called it “a victory of horsetrading”.

Siddaramaiah, who is the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, accused the BJP of “misusing” the office of governor to form the government. “Yediyurappa taking oath itself is against the constitution by misusing the office of the Governor though they don’t have the majority,” he said.

Explaining the equation, he said that the strength of the Assembly after the disqualification of three MLAs was 221 and that the halfway mark was 111. However, the BJP has only 105. Asserting that the BJP has to give the list of 111 MLAs, Siddaramaiah underlined the fact that the names of rebel MLAs camping in Mumbai cannot be given as they were from the Congress and the JD(S).

“This (BJP’s govt formation) is not a constitutionally or ethically formed government. How will they (BJP) prove majority then? Has it got any recognition within the framework of constitution?” Siddaramaiah asked.

He said that the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government would not have collapsed if the MLAs of Congress and the JD(S) were not confined.

“They (BJP) confined our MLAs illegally by luring them and now they (BJP) are saying it is the victory of people. No, it is not the victory of people. It is the victory of horse-trading,” Siddaramaiah said.

The former chief minister claimed that two rebel MLAs had called him regarding their disqualification, but he did not receive their calls.

Four days after the coalition government collapsed, BJP leader Yediyurappa staked claim to form the government and took oath as chief minister on Friday (July 26).