The Hindu : National : 47 Karnataka MLAs in Goa

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Sunday, Jan 22, 2006

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47 Karnataka MLAs in Goa

Special Correspondent

It will be better if Chief Minister resigns, says Kumaraswamy

— Photo: Rajtilak Naik

MAN IN FOCUS: H.D. Kumaraswamy, Janata Dal (Secular) leader and son of Deve Gowda, talking to mediapersons at the Dabolim airport in Goa on Saturday.

PANAJI: Forty-seven Karnataka MLAs under the leadership of Janata Dal (S) rebel leader Kumaraswamy and JD (S) Karnataka president N. Thipanna arrived in Goa on Saturday afternoon for a three-day sojourn ahead of the crucial voting in the Assembly scheduled for January 27.

Both leaders talking to journalists separately denied that they had come down to Goa to avert the possibility of poaching on their group MLAs. The MLAs were headed for a five star resort in South Goa which Mr. Kumaraswamy declined to name. He said that he had 47 MLAs in his group, of which 43 flew down while four MLAs had come by road.

Airport sources at Dabolim earlier confirmed that a special Jet chartered flight supposed to have brought them on Thursday evening was cancelled. This was followed by conflicting reports reaching here since Friday morning that the Kumaraswamy group MLAs may travel down to Goa by road or by chartered flight from Bangalore.

The speculation ended when Mr. Thipanna arrived at Dabolim on a Jet Airways flight from Bangalore at 2.30 p.m. along with two party secretaries. Mr. Thipanna said that as they had the requisite strength Chief Minister Dharam Singh would be forced to resign in two days.

Twenty minutes later Mr. Kumaraswamy arrived on a Kingfisher flight from Bangalore with his supporting MLAs. He told mediapersons outside the airport: "It would be better for the Chief Minister to resign instead of waiting for the floor test."

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