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BANGALORE: The Congress in Karnataka today demanded dismissal of the state government and imposition of President’s rule, saying there is ’zero governance’ in the wake of internal bickerings in the ruling BJP over the leadership issue.

"We urge Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj to recommend dissolution of the state Assembly as governance has hit a roadblock in the wake of internal bickerings in BJP over the leadership issue," Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara told reporters.

He was speaking after Congress candidate K Rahman Khan filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha election here today.

Parameshwara also urged Bhardwaj to facilitate fresh mandate "as government is likely to fall today or tomorrow in the light of internal bickerings in BJP reaching flashpoint."

He said Congress would submit a memorandum to the Governor, seeking dismissal of the government.

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BANGALORE: He himself was at the receiving end of resort politics several times when he was chief minster. But that hasn’t stopped BS Yeddyurappa from resorting to the same brand of politics to get his successor DV Sadananda Gowda out of power.
 
Resort politics has been a half-yearly feature of the BJP ever since it came to power for the first time in the South in May 2008. Various factions of the party’s legislature wing have been holed up in various resorts at regular intervals.
 
Resort politics hasn’t always been rebellious in nature. In fact, the BJP held a brainstorming session in a resort at the start of Yeddyurappa’s tenure in May 2008.
 
Different sets of BJP MLAs have been in and out of resorts in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Goa over the last 46 months since the party has been rocked by rebellion time and again.
 
Every time a dissident group fired a volley against Yeddyurappa , it was done from the cozy comfort of a resort. First, G Janardhana Reddy, then tourism minister, hijacked a few MLAs and demanded that Yeddyurappa be replaced by another Lingayat leader, Jagadish Shettar. The provocation was the transfer of a batch of officials loyal to Reddy .
 
However, the high command stepped in to defuse the crisis. Later, there was one more round of resort politics by a few netas, instigated by HD Kumaraswamy, former CM and JD(S) chief.
 
BJP legislators led by MP Renukacharaya stayed at a resort in Goa for over a week and relented only after Yeddyurappa offered ministries to two of them.
 
In October 2010, the BJP, facing trouble after 18 MLAs withdrew support to the Yeddyurappa-led government, whisked away all its loyalists to the Golden Palm Spa and Resort on the city’s outskirts.
 
Yeddyurappa and the opposition Congress and JD(S) wanted to keep their flock intact ahead of the crucial confidence motion as rival parties levelled allegations of horse-trading attempts.
 
Ironically, Yeddyurappa, who was never allowed to rule in peace owing to resort politics, has now resorted to the timetested tactics of his detractors and shepherded his supporters in a resort to exert pressure on the party high command and demand reinstatment.

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Why it is now or never for Yeddyurappa

BANGALORE: The annual routine of budget presentation has become a scene of political intrigue and skulduggery in Karnataka. With two days to go for the state budget 2012-13 , a profit-and loss account and policy document of the government has become an occasion for the BJP faction to go for each other’s jugular.

But why is former CM B S Yeddyurappa determined to unseat his successor , Sadananda Gowda, so that he and only he can present this year’s budget ?

The reasons are many. First and foremost, Yeddyurappa has presented six consecutive budgets since 2006. He was on the verge of creating two new records, till he was given the boot that is.

With his last budget’s size at Rs 85,000 crore, it was matter of time before the outlay would have crossed Rs 1 lakh crore. Yeddyurappa spoke several times about presenting a budget of that dream size this year. Yeddyurappa was also on the verge of equalling Siddaramaiah’s record of presenting the maximum number of budgets. No wonder Yeddyurappa sees Gowda as an interloper, though he is his chosen man.

Budgets are as much about grandstanding as they are about handing out huge doles to buy support. A populist budget gives Gowda a perfect launchpad to emerge as a leader of independent reckoning. As finance minister , Gowda also holds the key to the state exchequer. Once Gowda appears to be in command, MLAs/MLCs will only queue up before him to get approval for even small projects. From here it is matter of time before Gowda can buy their support.

Besides, this could be the last budget of the first-ever BJP government in the South as assembly elections to Karnataka is expected to be announced in February 2013.

Yeddyurappa has earned the goodwill of mutts, religious institutions and castes by doling out goodies to them in his budgets. He may be worried that Gowda, too, may allocate more funds and gain some larger endorsement in the process.

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BJP fed up with Yeddyurappa, ready for snap poll

BANGALORE: The Karnataka BJP leadership has decided to tell former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa that enough is enough, and said it’s prepared to go in for a snap assembly poll. State BJP chief K S Eshwarappa told STOI the party and chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda are prepared to face a mid-term election if the situation warrants. The virtual split in the BJP is said to forced the leaders to think of this way out to stymie a pesky Yeddyurappa. Eshwarappa’s message is said to have backing of BJP patriarch LK Advani and the RSS.The BJP parliamentary board is unlikely to meet in the next 4 or 5 days. Speculation was that the board would meet on Sunday to decide the fate of Gowda and Yeddyurappa. With this, Yeddyurappa’s demand that Gowda should not present the budget on March 21 comes to a naught.
 
The former CM is expected to hold series of meetings on Sunday and Monday.There was more trouble for Yeddyurappa when the SC-constituted Central Empowered Committee issued notice asking him to appear before it on March 20 in an illegal mining case.
 
"There’s no way Gowda will be replaced. We don’t know who is creating confusion. As Yeddyurappa has himself said, Gowda will present the budget and continue as chief minister," Eshwarappa said. Reacting to Yeddyurappa’s deadline to the BJP to ask Gowda to step down by March 19, he said: "Forget March 19, (replacing CM) will not happen even on March 29 or 39!’’
 
A minister close to Yeddyurappa said the former CM is contemplating quitting the party by the month-end.
 
"Yeddyurappa was ready to announce his future course of action last week in Hubli, but did not do so." During the train journey from Bangalore to Hubli last week, Yeddyurappa reportedly asked around 15 legislators in his camp to promise that they would follow him if he quit the party. A copy of the sppech announcing his exit from the BJP was shown to his supporters but eventually withheld.
 
To clear confusion and send a strong message, Eshwarappa and Gowda are likely to meet the party bosses in New Delhi on Monday. Following this, Eshwarappa is expected to make a statement that Gowda would remain CM. Cabinet expansion will also figure in the meeting.