Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy to return today, JDS calls for legislators' meet

Amid political crisis, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy will return to India later in the day following which he will attend Janata Dal (Secular) legislative party meet, according to reports. Kumaraswamy was in the United States since June 28 where he took part in ground breaking ceremony for a temple in New Jersey. On Monday, Kumaraswamy in a Tweet wrote, "I’m at the Kalabhairaveshwara temple foundation laying ceremony (in New Jersey). I’m watching TV channels. Destabilising the government continues to be a daydream of BJP (sic)."

On Saturday, 11 legislators of the ruling alliance submitted their resignation at the Speaker's office on Saturday. Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar was not in his office when the legislators went there to submit their resignation, sources said. Later, Kumar told reporters in Bengaluru that 11 legislators submitted their resignation at his office.

The legislators then also met the governor at the Raj Bhavan before being flown out to a five-star hotel in Mumbai on a private jet.

The MLAs who were seen at the Speaker's office include, Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Pratap Gowda Patil (Maski), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), B C Patil (Hirekerur), Byratibasavaraj (K R Puram), S T Soma Shekar (Yashwanthpur) and Ramalinga reddy (BTM Layout) of the Congress. The JD(S) MLAs are A H Vishwanath (Hunsur), who recently resigned as party's state chief, Narayana Gowda (K R Pet), and Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout).

Union Minister and senior BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda said the BJP is ready to form the government in Karnataka if it received an invitation from the governor.

The Congress accused the BJP of trying to bring down its coalition government in Karnataka by "buying" MLAs and asserted that the new word for the 'aaya ram, gaya ram' phenomenon is "MODI -- mischievously orchestrated defections in India".

Senior leaders of the Congress, including Mallikarjuna Kharge, A K Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Randeep Surjewala and Anand Sharma, met to deliberate the political situation arising out of the resignations of MLAs in Karnataka.

"The new word for 'aaya ram gaya ram' is MODI -- mischievously orchestrated defections in India," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.