People's mandate subverted by Congress-JDS conspiracy, says Yeddyurappa

Delivering an emotional speech before resigning as Karnataka CM, BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday accused the Congress-JDS combine of forming an 'opportunistic' alliance and said the people’s mandate had been subverted by their 'conspiracy.'

"Due to our Congress' friends conspiracy, the public mandate and democratic system has been subverted," Yeddyurappa said.

Unable to garner the required power number, Yeddyurappa announced his decision to step down without facing the trust vote and charged that the Congress-JDS combine had kept the MLAs out of reach in captivity.

 "You kept MLAs in captivity. The situation of those MLAs was so pitiable that they could not speak to their families on phone," he said in his speech after moving the motion of confidence to face the trial of strength.

State Governor Vajubhai Vala had given a 15-day window to Yeddyurappa to prove majority, but it was truncated by the Supreme Court, which ordered that the floor test be held on Saturday at 4 pm.

Yeddyurappa said that those who traded charges and counter charges, after being defeated in the elections, were indulging in 'opportunistic politics' against the people's mandate and had come to an understanding.

"I feel today it is like agni pareekshe (trial by fire). It is not the first time. All my life it has been agni pareekshe," he said, tracing the journey of the BJP when it had only two members and the present state it had reached.

"If people of the state had thought for a second andhad given us 113 seats, the picture of this state would have changed, and the picture of development would have changed. But God's will is different," he said.

Yeddyurappa admitted he had expected opposition MLAs to cross vote. "It is true that I had spoken to a few of them (in the opposition)," Yeddyurppa said, adding, "Some people had agreed to cooperate". He, however, added, "Who am I to question in politics? Expectation is different, there may be differences".

He then assured the people that 'till his last breath', he will travel across the state and ensure that the party wins all 28 seats of the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and "give it as a gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

Yeddyurappa said he was indebted to people who have shown him love and will go to people against this politics of anti-democracy and seek justice," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)