All 13 Karnataka MLAs are together, no question of withdrawing resignations: ST Somashekar

Even as former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah called a meeting of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on July 9, party’s rebel MLA ST Somashekar, who is staying in a Mumbai hotel, on Sunday said all 13 lawmakers of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state are together and there was no question of going back to Bengaluru and withdrawing the resignations.

“We 13 MLAs submitted resignation to the Speaker and informed the Governor. We all are together. No question of going back to Bengaluru and withdrawing the resignations,” Karnataka Congress MLA ST Somashekar outside Sofitel hotel in Mumbai.

Karnataka Congress MLA ST Somashekar outside Sofitel hotel in Mumbai: We 13 MLAs submitted resignation to the Speaker & informed Governor. We all are together. No question of going back to Bengaluru & withdrawing the resignations. pic.twitter.com/0ae0ttAlgo

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2019

A cirular has been issued by the Congress to all MLAs to attend Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting called by CLP leader Siddaramaiah on July 9. Karnataka Congress in charge KC Venugopal and Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao will also be present in the meet.

Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who has returned from the US after cutting short his visit, held a meeting with JDS MLAs and Congress party leaders. As claimed by H Vishwanath, three Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) MLAs have also resigned, taking the total figure to 14.

The senior Congress leaders held a series of meetings on Sunday in a bid to save the coalition government, which has faced the problem of instability from day one it came into being.

Senior Congress leaders including Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Home Minister MB Patil, Siddaramaiah, HK Patil, KC Venugopal, and Mallikarjun Kharge met to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state following the resignation of party MLAs on Saturday.

After the meeting at ITC Windsor Palace hotel in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said the coalition leaders were talking to the disgruntled MLAs to save the state government. "We are talking to them," he said.

DK Shivakumar also held a separate meeting with JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda to discuss the situation.

"JDS has called a meeting of its leaders to sort out the issue. I am confident that things will cool down immediately. In the interest of the nation and both the parties, we have to run the government smoothly. I am confident MLAs will come back," he told ANI after the meeting.

A senior JDS leader, while talking to ANI, said that his party has sent a message through Shivakumar to KC Venugopal, who is Congress' in-charge for Karnataka affairs, to convince their MLAs so that the government is run smoothly.

"It is very difficult for us to face such a situation time and again. This time it needs to be sorted out effectively. We have also called our MLAs meeting this evening and will tell our MLAs to be with the party and decisions," he added.

However, the Congress leaders exuded confidence that the state government will survive the crisis.

"Everything is OK. Wait for some time and you will get good news," said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Eshwar Khandre while talking to reporters after a meeting with the party leaders here.