Congress' no-confidence motion against Karnataka govt defeated

Bengaluru: Amid uproar for a brief while, the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition Congress against the BJP government in Karnataka led by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was defeated by a voice vote on Saturday night.

The Opposition party had alleged corruption, mishandling of the Covid-19 situation and law and order incidents which resulted in deaths of five persons in Mangaluru and Bengaluru while bringing in the motion.

"The motion is in favour of Nos. The motion is defeated by the voice vote," Speaker Kageri said as he wound up the current session of the Karnataka Assembly.

While initiating the debate on the no-confidence motion, Congress veteran Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on the BJP government, more specifically on Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's family.

Yediyurappa offered to step down if the Congress proved its charges. The opposition party had made the allegations on the basis of a sting operation carried out by a television channel.

Congress’s Siddaramaiah presented a transcript of an audio conversation that discusses alleged payment of bribes by a contractor to a government official. He also presented details of Whatsapp conversations released by the channel on bribes for clearing contracts.

Siddaramaiah was referring to the fall of the Congress-JDS coalition government in July last year with some Congress and JDS legislators resigning from the assembly and later joining the BJP.

The Whatsapp conversations discussing payment of various amounts occurred between a contractor and an individual linked to the government, the former chief minister said.

Siddaramaiah demanded Yediyurappa’s resignation and a probe by a judge of the Supreme Court or an SIT monitored by the Karnataka Chief Justice.

“I do not know who is this Vijayendra, and who is this Sashidhar. Let the government conduct an inquiry to find out. Till the inquiry is conducted Yediyurappa should not continue as chief minister,’” said the Leader of the Opposition.

“If you prove these allegations I will quit politics. If these allegations are wrong then you must quit,” the Karnataka chief minister replied.

The opposition Janata Dal (Secular) did not support motion. Several BJP MLAs who did not turn up for the six-day assembly session also attended the discussions on the no confidence motion, resulting in a clear majority for government.