Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday requested Justice N Santosh Hegde, who resigned from the post of Lokayukta of Karnataka on June 23 over the manner in which the government had treated some of his reports, to reconsider his decision.
Describing the attack by self-proclaimed moral police on youths in a Mangalore pub as an ugly and heinous incident, Janata Dal-Secular chief, H D Deve Gowda on Monday accused Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa of being responsible for "talibanisation" of Karnataka.
After days of hard bargaining and brinksmanship, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has finally consented to become deputy CM as per the arrangement between the two parties, sources revealed. But there is one hitch still left for Yediyurappa. Kumaraswamy's brother Revanna is not in favour of the deal, but an overwhelming majority of the JD-S legislators, who stand to lose their perks if the assembly is dissolved, are expected to convince Revanna at a crucial JD-S party meet today.
Gowda is not expected to come to any conclusion immediately and would seek another round of talks with the BJP in which he would try and convince them to continue with the same combination.
Will power be transferred or will the people have to go to polls is the million dollar question? It all depends on some of the key players who can either make or break the government in Karnataka.
Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy has said that he will step down on October 3, irrespective of whether power is transferred to the BJP.Senior JD (S) leaders have advised the chief minister to continue in power till the issue is sorted out.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha, who is in charge of party affairs in Karnataka, briefed the top party leadership about the crisis in the state following the suspension of talks between the BJP and JD (S) abt the impending power transfer
In a sudden development, Janata Dal-Secular has suspended its negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party on the transfer of power in Karnataka.
"JD-S will not transfer power to BJP. See what all will happen on October 3," Singh, a former chief minister, told reporters in Bangalore on Thursday.
The former prime minister said that he will take a decision about transferring power to the BJP after meeting top party leaders on September 27.
When the two parties formed the government, they mutually agreed that the Janata Dal (Secular) will hand over power to the BJP on October 3, 2007.
The meeting will take place at Krishna, the chief minister's official residence on Saturday at 8 am.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu also made a fervent appeal to the leaders of various parties at an all-party meeting to ensure smooth and effective functioning of the House during the Budget Session.
Going a step further after agreeing to swear before god, Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday said he was ready to undergo a narco analysis test to prove his claim that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa through an aide tried to strike a 'compromise' with him.
Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday alleged that Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa made fresh attempts to 'buy peace' with him in a bid to bring an end to the slugfest between them.
Taking the floor test for the fourth time, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Thursday won the vote of confidence in the state assembly amid empty Opposition benches following walkout by Congress and boycott\\nby the Janata Dal-Secular.
The new ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor T N Chaturvedi in the Vidhan Soudha premises.
In a fresh salvo against Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy alleged that he and his family had secured "illegal gains" through donations of Rs 27.18 crore made to a trust run by the CM's son.
"How can I continue in the ministry when the minorities are neglected?" asked Khan, becoming the first minister to strike a discordant note ever since the JD(S)-BJP ministry came to power in February last year.
The fall of the Congress-led government through a political coup leading to a new Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition and the arrest of two Pakistani militants made 2006 an eventful year for Karnataka.
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister M P Prakash passed away at a private hospital in Bangalore on Wednesday after a pro longed battle with cancer.
The Janata Dal - Secular on Monday released its first list of 64 candidates for the first phase of Assembly polls on May 10, nominating former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and his elder brother H D Revanna to contest again from Ramanagara and Holenarasipura seats, respectively. Former ministers who secured nominations include N Cheluvarayaswamy (Nagamangala), B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajpet) and H K Kumaraswamy (Sakleshpur-reserved).
Prakash had initially been in talks with the BJP, soon after he left the JD-S due to differences with party chief H D Deve Gowda. However due to differences in principles, Prakash decided to join the Congress party along with around ten other of his supporters.
While the past experience with the Janata Dal-Secular has ruled out a re-alliance as of now, it seems likely that the BJP may rely on the five independent candidates who have been elected on Sunday. The BJP top brass is already in touch with the five independent candidates to muster their support in order to form the first ever independent BJP government in south India.
Bharatiya Janata Party emerged on top with 32-42 out of the 66 seats, which went to polls in the second phase of Karnataka assembly elections on Friday followed by Congress (15-20) and Janata Dal-Secular (8-12), according to an exit poll by NDTV news channel. Others were expected to win around 2-4 seats, the exit poll said.
The new entrants will be welcomed into the party by All India Congress Committee general secretary Prithviraj Chavan in the KPCC office, party state general secretary M Ramachandrappa told PTI in Bangalore.
The three and half year old Achuthanandan cabinet is on the verge of expansion with three ministers getting into the ministry after taking the oath of office.
At present in Karnataka, if one takes a close look at the manner in which the tickets are being distributed it is clear that caste is being considered while handing out tickets. The Lingayats and the Vokkaligas have been dominant in Karnataka since time immemorial and the tussle for power between these two communities is no secret.
JD-S leaders are in constant touch with several candidates of both the Congress and the BJP and are hopeful that these candidates would agree to join their party. The Congress and the BJP have recently pocketed several JD-S candidates and now Deve Gowda's party has the opportunity to return the favour. To tackle the JD-S, the Congress is trying to delay the announcement of its final list, while the BJP is trying to downplay the widespread resentment among its party members.
The court, however, kept the disqualification in suspension for one month, allowing Swamy to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.
Fresh after winning the second trust vote on Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Friday called for a cabinet meeting on October 18, where is expected to re-shuffle his state cabinet.
A Special Court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.
The state has also been battered by administrative chaos due to political instability in the coalition era notwithstanding the Congress-Janata Dal Secular and JDS-BJP dispensations' claims of having ensured development.
On Friday, four of the 14 legislators had visited the Siddhivinayak temple in central Mumbai and offered prayers to Lord Ganesh.
As many as six Bihar legislators have been booked for violation of the provisions of model code of conduct, which had come into effect following announcement of the assembly polls schedule by the Election Commission on Monday last, official sources said on Friday.
The JD-S says that it will go all out to woo voters and will also send a strong message across, to explain that the party is not guilty of creating the biggest political turmoil in the state. While other political parties have already started canvassing, the JD-S has been taking its time. Its opponents, specially the BJP, claim that Deve Gowda's party was delaying its campaigning as it was scared to face the people after bringing two successive governments down.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, the CM said, "There is no situation for revisiting it at the government level. There is no such intention, there is no such proposal."
While Prakash has hinted at leaving the JD-S in the past, party chief Deve Gowda seemed unaffected, sarcastically saying that anyone who wanted to join Prakash was welcome to do so.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition ministry headed by H D Kumaraswamy in Karnataka was expanded Friday with the induction of 20 ministers.
The joint session of the assembly will start from Februay 24.
