The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Defeat party-hoppers: Kharge

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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Defeat party-hoppers: Kharge

Special Correspondent

Terms poaching by BJP ‘murder of democracy’
Says Congress will launch Statewide agitation

BANGALORE: Terming the poaching of Opposition MLAs by the Bharatiya Janata Party “murder of democracy”, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday asked voters to teach these “party-hopping” MLAs a lesson by defeating them in the byelections.

‘Betrayal’

He told presspersons here that the four MLAs from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) who had crossed over to the BJP had “betrayed” the voters of their constituencies by changing their political loyalties. “I am confident the voters will rebel against them.”

Mr. Kharge alleged that central BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley were involved in the conspiracy to poach Opposition MLAs just to cling on to power. The Congress would launch a Statewide agitation against this murder of democracy. The poaching would have a negative impact on the BJP contrary to the party’s belief that its Government would become stronger. “It will have to play a heavy price for murdering democracy,” he said.

When asked if the Congress would join hands with the JD(S) to put up common candidates in the byelections, Mr. Kharge said a decision would be taken at the appropriate time. The Congress would put up its own candidates in the constituencies where its MLAs crossed over to the BJP.

Mr. Kharge alleged that Speaker Jagadish Shettar too had indirectly supported the BJP’s actions. “Otherwise, why did he rush in a special helicopter from north Karnataka to Bangalore just to receive the resignation letters of the MLAs?”

On why senior leader Siddaramaiah was not part of the Congress delegation that met the Prime Minister in Delhi recently, Mr. Kharge only said that Mr. Siddaramaiah had some personal commitments.

Mr. Kharge, who led the delegation of Congress leaders to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several other Union Ministers to draw their attention to various problems Karnataka faces, said Dr. Singh had assured the delegation that the Ministries concerned would be directed to supply the full quota of fertilizers to the State.

Dr. Singh and Minister for Culture Ambika Soni had assured the delegation that a decision would be taken on according classical language status to Kannada based on the report of a committee that is looking into the issue, he said.

Vidarbha model

The Prime Minister favoured the Vidarbha model rather than the Telangana model with respect to the demand for providing special status to the backward Hyderabad Karnataka region.

The Prime Minister is also expected to speak to the Goa Chief Minister on the inter-State dispute over the Kalasa-Banduri nala project, Mr. Kharge added.

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