No need to hype it up so much: Deve Gowda on Independent MLAs exiting coalition

Bengaluru, Jan 16: Former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday said that the perceived 'political crisis' in Karnataka was a just media hype.

Speaking to ANI, Gowda said that,''the two MLAs(who withdrew support from Karnataka Govt) are not affiliated with any party. They are independents. There is no need to hype it up so much. It is all a media hype.''

His comments came just before two MLAs - H Nagesh (Independent) and R Shankar of the Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party - withdrew support to the Congress-JD(S) coalition.

In the 224-member Assembly, JDS has 37 MLAs while the Congress has 80. The coalition has the support of a few Independent legislators in the House, where the majority figure is 113.

Both the Congress and the BJP have been accusing each other of trying to lure away each other's legislators.

On Sunday, state Water Resource Minister D K Shivakumar had alleged that three Congress MLAs were camping in a hotel in Mumbai. Gowda said it was an "illusion" to think that the Congress-JD(S) government was in trouble.

The Congress has alleged that three of its MLAs were taken to Mumbai by the BJP in a bid to lure them to their fold.

The BJP, while dismissing these claims, has alleged poaching attempts by the Congress. The BJP has housed all its 104 MLAs in a hotel in Gurugram, on the outskirts of Delhi, because of the fear of the alleged poaching.