Bengaluru: Amid high drama in Vidhana Soudha, the corridors of power, the unstable Congress-JD(S) coalition, moved closer to a meltdown with housing minister M.T.B. Nagaraj and Dr K. Sudhakar, both camp followers of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, resigning their membership of the Assembly, taking the tally of resignations to 16 over the last five days on Wednesday, even as Karnataka’s political crisis reached the Supreme Court.
A bench headed by CJ Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the rebel MLAs, and assured him that it will see whether their petition can be listed for urgent hearing on Thursday.
Ten rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs moved a plea in the Supreme Court, alleging that the state Assembly Speaker has deliberately not accepted their resignations.
The Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, quickly became the epicentre of the tug of war between the political forces in the state with senior Congress leaders coming to near blows inside the assembly, and the streets outside the Vidhana Soudha turning into a virtual battle zone as the Congress alongside its JD(S) partner and the BJP separately holding protests.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad alongside other Congress leaders was arrested by police.
Chikballapur Congress MLA Dr K Sudhakar was allegedly heckled by his own party collegues and taken by the scruff of his neck and pushed into Major Industries Minister K.J. George’s chamber, after he submitted his resignation of his Assembly membership on Wednesday, alongside Housing Minister and Hoskote Congress MLA M T B Nagaraj, both, staunch loyalists of former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Dr Sudhakar faced the ire of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief Dinesh Gundurao as well as Priyank Kharge. He was allowed to leave the room only after Governor Vajubai Vala intervened.
