Cong, JD(S) tieup unholy: Shah
KEEPING UP THE FIGHT BJP chief alleges Opposition alliance going against the spirit of the people’s mandate; rubbishes claims of horsetrading, bribery to influence MLAS
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Monday described the Congress-janata Dal (Secular) joining hands in Karnataka as an “unholy alliance”, while defending his party’s decision to stake its claim to form a government, and denying charges of horsetrading levelled against it.
The press conference in New Delhi came two days ahead of JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s scheduled swearing-in ceremony as the next chief minister of Karnataka — a development that Shah described as a betrayal of the people’s mandate.
The BJP, which emerged as the single-largest party in May 12 elections in the state, made a failed bid to form the government and its leader BS Yeddyurappa had to resign on the floor of the assembly on Saturday, barely 55 hours after being sworn in.
“We were the single-largest party,” Shah said. “The BJP significantly improved its tally in terms of seat and vote share.” The BJP won 104 seats (in a house with an effective strength of 222) as against its 2013 tally of 40 seats. Its vote share jumped from 19.9% to 36.2%.
“There is no confusion that it was an anti-congress mandate. We are short of just seven seats from the halfway mark,” Shah said. “The verdict was clear. People wanted to defeat the Congress, and they voted for any party that was in a position to defeat the Congress,” he added.
BID TO FORM THE GOVERNMENT
Shah asserted that the singlelargest party has the first right to form government in the case of a hung assembly. “It would have been against the spirit of the mandate given by people if we had not staked claim,” he said, adding that if the Congress and the JD(S) had not “locked up” their MLAS in hotels and had allowed them to interact with their voters, people would have told them where they have to vote (in the confidence motion on the floor of the House on May 19).
Shah refused to draw a parallel between Karnataka and instances earlier this year in Goa and Manipur, where the Congress had emerged as the singlelargest party but the BJP had formed governments with the support of other parties. “The Congress did not stake claim to form government in Goa,” Shah said. “The governors were well within their rights (in both cases) to then invite the BJP. In Karnataka, we approached the governor even before the Congress or the JD(S),” Shah said.
He also rejected suggestions that an amendment was needed in the Constitution to define the role of governors in such cases.
CHARGES OF HORSE-TRADING
Shah rejected allegations that the BJP tried to “buy“Opposition MLAS and induce them with plum posts in the new government in the run up to the vote of
confidence in the House. “Do you think the outcome (during Yeddyurappa’s floor test) would have been the same had we indulged in horse-trading?” he asked. “The Congress accused us of horse-trading when it has looted the entire stable,” he said.
The BJP chief said Congress MLA Shivaram Hebbar had already dismissed as “fake” an audio clip released by the party
to allege that the BJP offered money and ministerial berths to him for cross-voting.
The fake audio clip was released, Shah alleged, to influence the decision of the Supreme Court, which reduced the 15-day window given to Yeddyurappa to prove his majority in the state assembly.
“The Congress lawyer also lied before the Supreme Court that Yeddyurappa asked for seven days time to prove majority, and he was given 15 days. Yeddyurappa never asked for seven days’ time,” Shah said.
THE JD(S)-CONGRESS ALLIANCE
The JD(S), Shah said, had criticised the Congress during the campaign for its failure in the last five years.
“But after elections, they joined hands. This is an apavitra gathbandhan (unholy alliance),” he said.
He said he wondered what the Congress was celebrating in Karnataka — a fall in its number of seats (Congress won 78 seats against its previous tally of 122), its chief minister (Siddaramaiah) losing an election (from Chamundeshwari, though he won in Badami), half of its Cabinet ministers being defeated, or getting reduced to a ‘PPP’ party.
PPP was a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying during the election campaign that the Congress was on the verge be reduced to a ‘PunjabPuducherry-parivar’ party after it would be voted out of Karnataka.
“A government is known by its chief minister. Karnataka is already Congress-mukt,” Shah declared. “The Congress celebrates the BJP’S loss in nine by-elections to Lok Sabha seats. But we have defeated them in 14 states after 2014.”
He also asked the JD (S) to explain was it was celebrating – winning just 37 seats, or losing its deposit in 80% of seats it contested.