In an effort to safeguard the coalition government, the Congress has convened a meeting of its legislators on Tuesday. The meeting is expected to send strong signals to ‘rebel’ legislators, while also keeping options open to hold talks with them in the larger interest of the party.
The crucial Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has assumed significance as Legislative Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar is expected to examine the legality of the resignations submitted by 13 MLAs on the same day.
The leaders are expected to hear grievances of the legislators and explore options to save the government, which was formed 13 months ago.
With more legislators rumoured to switch sides in the week ahead, sources said the meeting would provide a platform to assess the number of MLAs who will remain in the party. Sources said many legislators, who had submitted their resignation to the Speaker’s office, are unlikely to attend the meeting. Legislators who are in Mumbai are keeping a close eye on the developments in the State, to decide the future course of action.
As demanded by a few legislators of the party on Sunday, the CLP meeting might even discuss the issue of seeking the post of Chief Minister from the Janata Dal (Secular), to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party at bay.
Water Resources Minister and the party’s “trouble shooter” D.K. Shivakumar, who met JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda on Sunday, placed the demand to give the Chief Minister’s post to the Congress. But it was sternly put down by Mr. Gowda, sources said.
Budget session
The CLP meeting also assumes significance in the wake of the government’s decision to convene an extended budget session of the State legislature from Friday. The meeting, to be chaired by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and attended by AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao, and working president Eshwar Khandre, is expected to work out a strategy to be adopted by the party during the session.
In fact, MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak) and Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) who had skipped the January 18 and May 30 meetings of the CLP, have now tendered their resignation to the membership of the Assembly.
