Kumaraswamy-led JD(S)-Congress Govt Wins Karnataka Floor Test
This is HD Kumaraswamy’s second term as chief minister of Karnataka.
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Newly sworn-in Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy won the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly on 25 May, even as BJP leaders staged a walk out. Congress MLA KR Ramesh has been elected the Speaker.
- This is HD Kumaraswamy’s second term as chief minister of Karnataka
- Congress’ G Parameshwara was sworn-in as the deputy chief minister
- While the JD(S) will have 12 ministers, Congress will have 22 ministers in the Cabinet
Meeting Over Cabinet Expansion Held
A meeting was held to discuss the cabinet expansion after the floor test.
CM HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwar, Siddaramaiah, KC Venugopal and HD Revanna were present in the meeting.
Cong-JD(S) Govt Will Complete Its Five- Year Term: HD Kumaraswamy
Seeking the trust vote, HD Kumaraswamy asserted the Congress-JD(S) coalition government would complete its five- year term, while maintaining he was conscious that his party JD(S) does not have a majority on its own.
"I am pained that people have not placed their trust in me," he said, as he moved the motion seeking the vote of confidence of the Assembly in his government.
"We will work for the people. We are not here to fulfil our personal interests," he said, adding neither he nor the members of his family ever hankered after power, and spent most of their time in politics seated in opposition benches.
The Real Action Will Start Now: HD Kumaraswamy
After winning the floor test, the new Chief Minister of Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy interacted with the media saying, “The real action will start now.”
“Whatever promises I have made to the citizens of Karnataka, I am going to fulfill them,” Kumaraswamy told ANI.
On BJP calling for a statewide bandh on 28 May, Kumaraswamy said, “I am not going to care about this threat.”
DK Shivakumar Slams BJP for Announcing State-Wide Bandh
Congress leader DK Shivakumar said the BJP was “wasting public money”, by calling for a bandh on 28 May.
HD Kumaraswamy Wins Vote of Confidence
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy won the floor test after 117 MLAs voted in his favour.
BJP Calls for State-Wide Bandh on 28 May
Reiterating BS Yeddyurappa’s stance, BJP leader R Ashoka said:
BJP Leaders Stage Walk Out
BJP leaders walked out of the Karnataka Assembly, after BS Yeddyurappa said the party would hold a state-wide bandh on 28 May, if CM HD Kumaraswamy did not waive off farmer loans.
Yeddyurappa Admits He Contacted Congress MLAs
In the midst of a heated argument with both JD(S) and the Congress, Yeddyurappa admitted on the floor of the house that he did contact the Congress MLAs, to stop the father (HDK) and son (HDD) from coming to power.
He also told DK Shivakumar that he will change his name, if the father and son (HDK and HDD) doesn't destroy the Congress party.
He “accidentally” called Siddaramaiah “Chief Minister”, which led to the whole house breaking into laughter. Constantly sidelining the role of the former Chief Minister in Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in, he said “What happened to Siddaramaiah was a tragedy”.
Yeddyurappa Asks Whether Congress or BJP Received Mandate?
Speaking in the floor of the house after Kumaraswamy, BS Yeddyurappa who had resigned from the post of Karnataka Chief Minister two days after he was sworn in, said that people may not have given 113 seats to BJP and questions whether the people had given the mandate to the Congress or the BJP.
He also threw flak at Siddaramaiah, saying that although the Gandhis had seemingly favoured him before, it was Kumaraswamy they called to Delhi after the verdict.
Kumaraswamy Announces Farm Loan Waiver
Kumaraswamy, in his speech, quoted an earlier made statement of BJP MLA BS Yeddyurappa, where he had said that it wasn’t possible to implement farm loan waivers in the state.
Challenging this, Kumaraswamy announced a farm loan waiver in his capacity as Chief Minister. This, he said, would also include loans taken from national banks.
Had Some Role to Play in Allowing BJP to Form First Govt in State: Kumaraswamy
Facing the Floor Test, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy admitted that he had a role to play in letting the BJP form its first government in Karnataka. And this is the same BJP that is questioning him for forming a coalition with the Congress, he added.
Defending his decision to form the government in alliance with the Congress, he said he was trying to correct the mistake he made in 2006, by joining hands with the BJP, which was a decision that had hurt his father.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy Moves Motion of Confidence
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has moved the motion of confidence on the floor of the house.
In his speech, he said that he didn’t understand the logic behind the BJP claiming that people have given them the mandate. He added that he had no personal ambition to be Chief Minister of Karnataka, but it was a situation presented by the people of the state.
He also refuted all allegations that JD(S) and Congress had imprisoned their MLAs, leaving their families in distress. No family was in distress, he said, and added they had to be kept together because of BJP's horse trading tactics.
Yeddyurappa, Siddaramaiah Welcome Kumar
BJP MLA B S Yeddyurappa, who had stepped down as Karnataka Chief Minister after failing to prove majority, told KR Ramesh that he hoped he would be “given the opportunity” to “express”.
He also said that the reason the BJP withdrew the nomination of its candidate, was because it “wanted the election to be unanimous in order to maintain dignity of the Speaker's post”, ANI reports.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also welcomed Kumar and said that he had done a good job as a young Speaker during his first term. He added that though he wasn’t practicing, his education in law would help him in running the proceedings of the house.
Kumaraswamy Welcomes Ramesh Kumar as Speaker
Karnataka Chief Minister Kumaraswamy welcomes Congress MLA Ramesh Kumar as the newly elected Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.
“We are happy that the speaker has been elected unanimously. I strongly believe in your sense of fairness and responsibility in any task that will be delegated to you. We will see good days going forward,” he said, as reported by News18.
He also said that this was a proud moment for him because KR Ramesh Kumar was the speaker of the Assembly when his father, HD Deve Gowda, was serving as the Chief Minister.
“We will cooperate with you in whatever decisions you will make as the speaker of the house,” he added.
Ramesh Kumar Elected Speaker Unanimously
Six-time Congress MLA KR Ramesh Kumar was unanimously elected the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly, minutes after the lawmakers sat down after the National Anthem marked the start of the floor test proceedings.
BJP candidate Suresh Kumar withdrew his nomination for Speaker of the Assembly and hence, KR Ramesh was elected as Speaker unanimously.
Congress Legislative Meeting Underway, Kumaraswamy & MLAs Expected Soon
The Congress was scheduled to hold a legislative meeting, prior to the floor-test, which is currently underway.
Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who is expected to be given the post of the State Party President and MLA Anand Singh are also present.
Kumaraswamy is expected to arrive at the Vidhana Soudha along with the party MLAs shortly, reports News18.
Karnataka CM Vows to Meet Citizens Daily
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has said that he will meet the public at his home office for one hour every day. "The Chief Minister will be available for public to meet at his home office 'Krishna' daily from 10 am to 11 am whenever he is in Bengaluru," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office said, as reported by The News Minute.
Ahead of the floor-test, Kumaraswamy visited the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru and took the blessings of a 111-year-old Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami, who is reported to be one of the oldest seers in the world, the report adds.
Congress MLAs Reach Vidhana Soudha
The Congress MLAs have reached the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, ahead of the election of the assembly speaker and where the floor-test is scheduled to take place at 12.15 pm.
Karnataka's Issues Will Be Resolved: Congress-JD(S)
JD(S) leader Ramesh Babu said that although there were several issues between the Congress and his party, he was confident that the matter would be resolved eventually. But for now, the party’s focus was on Karnataka and its people.
Congress leader Brijesh Kalappa dispelled all rumours of a shaky alliance and said that although there were certain things that the two parties did not see eye-to-eye on, he was confident of a stable government in Karnataka, reports News18.
BJP leader S Prakas, however, said that like the party had predicted, the Congress-JD(S) alliance was already faltering and that they were losing confidence in Kumaraswamy.
BJP Legislative Party Meeting at 10 AM
The Bharatiya Janata Party will conduct its legislative party meeting at 10 AM. CM Kumarawamy will move the trust vote at 12:15 PM.
Full CM Term for CM Kumaraswamy Yet to be Discussed: Dy CM G Parameshwara
Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said that the Congress-JD(S) coalition was yet to decide if the chief minister Kumaraswamy will remain the CM for a full 5-year term. "We have not yet discussed those modalities," he said.
DG and IGP Neelamani Raju Briefs CM Kumaraswamy
Director General of Police Neelamani Raju has briefed CM Kumaraswamy on the security arrangements before the swearing-in ceremony.
Opposition's Show of Strength at Swearing-in Ceremony
In a massive show of strength, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, president Rahul Gandhi, CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and BSP supremo Mayawati were among a galaxy of opposition leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy. RJD chief Lalu Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, and Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan were also on the stage to congratulate Kumaraswamy.
Congress-JD(S) Combine Keeps its Flock Together
The Congress-JD(S) combine, with 117 MLAs, 6 more than the magic figure of 111, has been protecting its legislators against the alleged poaching efforts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The coalition has accused the BJP of offering a huge amount of money to its MLAs to switch sides during the trust vote.
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Published: 25 May 2018,08:54 AM IST