BJP dares Yeddyurappa to topple Shettar government

Belgaum (Karnataka) : Karnataka’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party Monday dared its former leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to topple the Jagadish Shettar government, a day after he challenged the chief minister to prove his majority or quit.

“If he has courage, let him ask legislators supporting him to quit or join opposition parties and bring a no-trust vote,” state BJP chief K.S. Eshwarappa told reporters here.

Shettar too said he was ready to prove the majority if a no-confidence motion is moved in the assembly, which is meeting in this north Karnataka town, about 500 km from Bangalore.

Yeddyurappa had Sunday challenged Shettar to prove majority as 13 to 15 BJP assembly members out of 118 in the 225-member assembly had shared the dais with him at a function to formally launch his Karnataka Janata Party (KJP).

Both Shettar and Eshwarappa, who is also deputy chief minister, ruled out resignation of the ministry or early dissolution of the assembly in view of these party legislators associating with Yeddyurappa.

The chief minister maintained that he has the numbers with him and hence there was no need to quit.

The opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular parties said they have no plans to move a no-trust motion against the Shettar government.

“This government will fall on its own. Why should we move a no-confidence motion,” Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G. Parameshwara told reporters here.

However, the Congress demanded in the assembly Shettar’s resignation, saying he had “no moral right” to continue in view of Sunday’s development in his party.

On what action the BJP planned against the rebel legislators, Shettar said the party would take a decision on Wednesday.