Bengaluru: In a bid to prove that the coalition government it not shaky as is being projected and the Congress-JD(S) combine is on a strong wicket, a section of Congress leaders are seriously considering asking Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy to seek a confidence vote on the very first day of the coming joint legislature session. This will thwart the BJP’s bid to move a no-confidence motion against the government, they feel. These leaders believe the ruling coalition will sail through the confidence vote even if the party decides to initiate the disqualification process against dissident Congress legislators Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli before the start of the joint session. The Congress must however ensure all its remaining 77 MLAs barring the Speaker vote for the confidence motion. This can happen only if strict action is taken against the erring MLAs so that they fall in line and save themselves from being disqualified, a senior leader disclosed to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity.
Another senior leader pointed out that there is a growing feeling among many MLAs of the coalition that the present arrangement may disintegrate on its own soon after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “In the event of a Congress victory, Congress leaders will try to tighten the leash on the Gowda family which might lead to the collapse of the government. In the event of a BJP led NDA victory, Mr Kumaraswamy is likely to go with the BJP. Hence, most Congress legislators feel remaining in the Congress till the Lok Sabha polls are over is the best possible solution rather than doing anything in a hurry at this juncture. This is exactly why a section of Congress leaders have started floating the idea of moving the confidence motion before the BJP does,” the source explained.
