Karnataka

“It is true that we are disgruntled. But we have not indulged in any anti-party activities and we have not challenged the high command,” he said at a press conference.

The prolonged absence of the four legislators had triggered speculation that they may be preparing to switch to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“We have many friends in the BJP… All of us politicians are friends, not enemies. Only when it is a question of party we fight but we are friends otherwise,” Jarkiholi said when asked about leaked photos showing the MLAS with BJP leaders.

His colleague Nagendra said their anger stemmed from some issues over their constituencies. “We are all together. It is true that we are disgruntled… but who said I will leave the party? Definitely, we will be with the party. I have been going to Mumbai for business and other activities. We were not there together, we went there separately,” he said. Siddaramaiah said the party could not do anything now about the disqualification complaint as it was already with the speaker. “The speaker has to decide as the complaint has already been submitted to him. We will argue about why we think they should be disqualified and they will argue about why they should not be. Let’s see what decision the speaker takes,” he told HT.

Later in the day, Independent MLA H Nagesh, who had withdrawn support to the coalition last month, met Siddaramaiah and expressed his desire to once again back the government. Repeated attempts to reach him went unanswered. This brings the coalition’s strength to 119 out of 224 MLAS. This number excludes speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.

Meanwhile, the controversy over the audio clip that purportedly recorded state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa trying to entice a JD(S) MLA’S son took a turn for the worse on Wednesday. JD(S) party workers allegedly attacked the house of Preetham Gowda, the BJP legislator from Hassan town. Around 11am, Gowda said, thugs entered his house in Hassan and attacked his parents and party workers. “They said they had been sent by Kumaraswamy and his brother [public works minister] HD Revanna,” he said. The attack occurred allegedly after a larger clip of the conversation was released on social media.