BJP legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa took oath as the Karnataka Chief Minister here on Thursday, hours after the Supreme Court declined to stay his swearing-in ceremony.
Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yeddyurappa at 9 a.m. at the Raj Bhavan amid tight security.
The beleaguered Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leaders, however, protested against the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa and termed the Governor's decision "unconstitutional".
"Constitutionally, we (JD-S and Congress) should have been given the chance to form the government as we together have the majority in the assembly. The Governor's decision to invite the BJP to form the government is against the Constitution," state unit Congress chief G. Parameshwara told reporters here.
Earlier, a three-judge bench of the apex court rejected a joint writ petition, filed by the Congress and the JD-S on Wednesday night, to halt the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister at a special pre-dawn hearing.
#WATCH: Karnataka CM BS Yedyurappa addresses the media in Bengaluru https://t.co/cwpQfzgJ0X
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
The top court, however, said the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa was subject to the final outcome of the matter before it and posted the case for further hearing at 10.30 a.m on Friday.
The bench, headed by Justice A.K. Sikri, also sought the letter Yeddyurappa wrote to the Governor on Wednesday, informing him about his election as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader in Karnataka.
#Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa arrived at BJP party office in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/KLcGTxuBWQ
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
Vala on Wednesday night invited Yeddyurappa to form the government and prove within 15 days that he had majority in the legislative assembly.
Although the BJP emerged as the single-largest party winning 104 seats in the May 12 assembly election, it fell short of eight seats from the 112-halfway mark in the lower House, in which the Congress trailed behind with 78 wins and the regional JD-S 37 seats.
This is not the system. Irrespective of whose govt it is, it is their duty to provide protection, provide security to the elected representatives: KH Muniyappa, Congress on security withdrawn from outside Eagleton Resort near Bengaluru where Congress MLAs are lodged pic.twitter.com/k0eLZmVwfW
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
This is the third time Yeddyurappa took oath as the state Chief Minister, a decade after he became the BJP's first Chief Minister in south India in May 2008 when the party came to power for the first time in the southern state.
Soon after taking oath, an upbeat Yeddyurappa said he was confident of winning the majority and being in power for the full five-year term.
All India Congress Committee General Secy Ashok Gehlot issues letter requesting all Pradesh Congress Committees, leaders & workers to organise state-wide dharnas at state capitals&dist HQs tomorrow to protest against K'taka Guv for inviting BS Yedurappa for making govt in K'taka. pic.twitter.com/5dCrttZZyp
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
"I am thankful to the people of the state, especially farmers and the poor, who have supported me. As the people are with me, I am confident of winning the majority and be in power for the next five years," Yeddyurappa said at his maiden press conference.
Members & workers of Congress protest across the nation against #Karnataka Governor for inviting BS Yeddyurappa to form govt there. Visuals from Jaipur and Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/r2a3IarbCg
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
Crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's President Amit Shah for his swearing-in as the Chief Minister, Yeddyurappa accused the Congress and JD-S of trying to steal the people's mandate by forming an alliance.
"The Congress and JD-S have formed an unholy alliance despite people choosing the BJP. We are confident of winning the majority," he added.
Among the Congress leaders who protested were former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal and senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
"Yeddyurappa first needs to furnish the list proving his majority in the House," Siddaramaiah told reporters.
JD-S supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda also joined the protest, while his son and JD-S state president H.D. Kumaraswamy attacked the Modi government for "demolishing" democracy.
"Modi government wants to demolish democracy by targeting the opposition parties. Even when the JD-S and the Congress together have the majority, we weren't invited by the Governor to form the government," lamented Kumaraswamy, a former Chief Minister.
In a related development, the Congress and the JD-S have lodged their newly-elected legislators at a resort on the city's outskirts, ostensibly to prevent them being poached by the BJP, which they alleged was indulging in "horse trading" to win over their MLAs.
All India Congress Committee General Secy Ashok Gehlot issues letter requesting all Pradesh Congress Committees, leaders & workers to organise state-wide dharnas at state capitals&dist HQs tomorrow to protest against K'taka Guv for inviting BS Yedurappa for making govt in K'taka. pic.twitter.com/5dCrttZZyp
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
"We have a need to safeguard our MLAs from poaching by the BJP, which is why they have been moved to a resort on the city outskirts," Kumaraswamy told reporters later.
Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar said the party had the support of all its legislators and its leadership was in touch with all the legislators.
Karnataka Verdict Fallout: Congress To Stake Claim In Goa, Manipur; RJD In Bihar
In a ripple effect stemming from developments in Karnataka, the Congress in Goa and Manipur and the RJD in Bihar, which are the single largest party in the respective states, on Thursday said they will approach the state governors and stake claim for government formation.
However, questions are being raised on the surprising move by the two allies, more than a year after elections were held to the respective assemblies which appeared to be aimed at embarrassing the BJP.
Also, the numbers are completely in NDA’s favour in all the three states.
The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats in Karnataka Assembly, was invited by Governor Vajubhai Vala yesterday to form the government despite the JD(S)-Congress combine staking claim by citing the support of 117 MLAs.
The majority mark is 112 seats. Elections were held for all but two of the 224 seats. B S Yeddyurappa took oath as chief minister in Bengaluru this morning.
Goa Congress Legislature Party chief Chandrakant Kavlekar said the party will stake claim tomorrow by submitting to Governor Mridula Sinha a formal letter containing signatures of all the 16 party MLAs.
The governor has given 12 noon time for the meeting with the Congress leaders.
In the assembly elections held in March last year, the Congress bagged 17 seats in the 40-member House, falling short of the majority figure by four seats. One MLA later resigned and joined the BJP.
The BJP, which got 14 seats, formed the government in alliance with Goa Forward Party and MGP, both of which had secured three seats each. Three Independents also went with the BJP.
Kavlekar said the Goa Governor should follow the precedent set by her Karnataka counterpart and invite the single largest party to form the government “correcting her mistake of March 12, 2017”.
Would like to know from BJP&Bihar CM if invitation to single largest party in K'taka is right or insulting public's mandate in Bihar by making post-poll alliance was right. If what they did in K'taka is right then they must accept what they did in Bihar was wrong: T Yadav, RJD pic.twitter.com/vdEkRT61Il
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2018
“We have 16 legislators with us and with that strength we are the single largest party in the (Goa) Assembly. The governor should invite us to form the government in Goa as per the precedent set by her Karnataka counterpart,” said Kavlekar, the Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly, in Panaji.
When pointed out that the Congress needs support of at least 21 legislators to stake the claim, he said once the governor swears in the Congress chief minister, he will be able to prove his majority on the floor of the House.
“The numbers will have to be proven on the floor of the House and we have that with us,” he said.
However, he did not specify how the party would muster the majority.
Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar said governors can’t have two different set of rules.
“While in Karnataka the governor has invited single largest party, in Goa too, the same precedent should be followed,” he said. The Congress is giving an “opportunity to Goa Governor to rectify the mistake which she did last year”, Chodankar said.
The BJP-led government in Goa is headed by Manohar Parrikar, who is currently undergoing treatment in the US for his pancreatic ailment.
In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said his party will also request the Bihar Governor to dissolve the state Assembly and like in Karnataka invite the single largest party, which in the state is his party.
Yadav, son of Lalu Prasad and the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, told reporters in Patna he has sought an appointment with Governor Satyapal Malik tomorrow before whom “we wish to submit that there cannot be double standards”.
The JD(U)-BJP alliance together with other allies have 131 seats in the 243 Assembly. However, the RJD is still the single largest party with 80 MLAs.
Yadav said if the BJP was invited by the Karnataka Governor to form the government on the ground that it was the single largest party, then the RJD also had the right to form the government.
“We will request the Bihar Governor to dismiss the state government and invite the RJD to form the government,” he said.
“I will meet the Governor along with our MLAs as we are the single largest party in Bihar,” tweeted Yadav.
Former Manipur Chief Minister and Congress leader Ibobi Singh also said he will seek an appointment with the governor for staking claim to form a government.
In the Manipur poll held last year, the Congress had won 28 seats in the 60-member House and the BJP 21. The BJP joined hands with regional parties to claim support of majority of MLAs and Governor Najma Heptulla invited it to form the government, ignoring the claim of the Congress.
CPI-M chief Sitaram Yechury recalled that the BJP government appointed governors did not invite single largest party in either Goa, Manipur or Meghalaya (Congress-21 out of 60) and said union ministers gave arguments supporting them.
“The precedent is there to follow, right? #Karnataka,” he tweeted.
