New Delhi, Bangalore:
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
So as his government in Karnataka skids towards a minority, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa is touring temples; senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu has been flown by his party to Bangalore to handle the crisis; rebel BJP MLAs who're causing the crisis are in Goa (via Chennai, Kochi & Mumbai); and worried about its own men switching sides, the Congress has led 50 of its MLAs to a secret location.
First, the BJP. 14 of its MLAs have told the Governor they no longer support the BJP government because it is riddled with corruption. Yesterday, along with 5 independent MLAs, they said -from the safe distance of a hotel in Chennai -that they were opting out. Later, one of the MLAs, Patil, withdrew his letter. The thinly-disguised motive is a recent cabinet reshuffle, in which some of them lost their posts.
In the absence of these 18 MLAs, Yeddyurappa's numbers in the Legislative Assembly fall well below the half-way mark of 113. The Governor has told him to prove his majority before October 12. Expressing his confidence at surviving this crisis, the Chief Minister said he plans to ask for a trust vote on October 11. (
Watch: Will expand Cabinet, says Yeddyurappa)
Naidu said in Bangalore that the Congress is determined to destabilize the BJP government.
But the puppeteer pulling the strings is believed to be former chief minister and opposition leader HD Kumaraswamy. When asked about whether he had nudged the BJP revolt, he said the dissidence was entirely of Yeddyurappa's making. But in the last few weeks, Kumaraswamy, who heads the JD(S), has publicly charged Yeddyurappa with using his office to help his sons buy prized property at throwaway rates. Privately, many say, he has been colluding with BJP MLAs and independent MLAs to quit the government.
The corollary to the BJP's nightmare is whether the Congress and the JD(s) will be able to combine forces to form a government, if they can topple Yeddyurappa's. (
Watch: JD(S) indulging in horse trading: Karnataka Home Minister)
Amid reports that some of the BJP MLAs who've promised to withdraw support are reconsidering, they arrived in Mumbai and were driven to an undisclosed location. Reports suggest they resurfaced later at the Mumbai airport. There is speculation about whether they might be flown out of the country till the vote of confidence on Monday.
Karnataka: How the numbers add up224-member assembly; majority mark is 113. If 19 MLAs withdraw support, the government will be in a minority.