Cong to seek disqualification of rebel MLAs who have resigned: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, July 09: Congress Legislature Party leader in Karnataka Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday the party would seek the disqualification of rebel MLAs who have resigned.

The former chief minister also requested the 10 party MLAs who had resigned to come back or face the consequences. He was talking to reporters after a CLP meet here convened to manage the crisis following the resignation of a total of 13 coalition MLAs, including three from the ally JD(S).

The resignations were not voluntary and genuine, Siddaramaiah claimed. All the MLAs who attended the CLP meet have reiterated their loyalty to the party, he said. Besides the MLAs, a couple of other legislators had also not attended the meeting but the latter had obtained permission, he said.

The BJP has been destabilising elected governments in Karnataka and other states in an anti-democratic manner, he charged. "Ever since the coalition government took over in the state, the BJP is trying to destabilise it," the former chief minister alleged.

"This is their sixth attempt," he added. Siddaramaiah said the Congress would petition the Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, seeking disqualification of MLAs who have tendered their resignation.

"We are going to stage a dharna near the Gandhi statue for an hour where all the MLAs will participate after which we will submit the petition to the Speaker," he said.