Bengaluru: Eight JD (S) legislators, who were suspended from the party for cross-voting during recent Rajya Sabha polls, are livid about double-standards adopted by party leaders in trying to unseat Chairman of the Legislative Council, D H Shankara Murthy, and elect their candidate with the help of Congress legislators.
These eight JD (S) MLAs, led by former minister Zameer Ahamed Khan, are also facing the prospect of disqualification of their membership of the Assembly for supporting Congress candidate, K.C. Ramamurthy, in Rajya Sabha polls. Now, they are upset over hypocrisy of senior leaders who plan to strike a deal with Congress leaders to oust Mr Shankara Murthy and help senior JD(S) leader, Mr Basavaraj Horatti, to occupy the top post.
In addition to these eight legislators, the move by top JD (S) leaders has upset a section of members who are against any such pact with the ruling party. JD(S) leaders are aware of the fact that it would be a major embarrassment for them in case they forge an alliance with the Congress soon after the defeat of Dal (S) candidate B M Farookh in RS polls.
Besides, it would also provide suspended JD(S) legislators an opportunity to question the double standards of leaders. “If Mr Deve Gowda helps the Congress unseat the Chairman, it will expose his two-facedness,” was how one suspended MLA reacted about the move.
He accused the ruling party of trying to achieve twin goals-first to unseat Mr Shankara Murthy to end JD(S)-BJP tie up in the Council, and second to embarrass the JD(S) in public that it was ready to do anything for the sake of power.
