HDK Wins Trust Vote in Karnataka

Yeddyurappa hits Kumaraswamy below belt as JD(S)-Cong win trust vote in Karnataka

 The H D Kumaraswamy headed JD(S)-Congress alliance today won the trust vote as expected as BJP staged a walkout.

Kumaraswamy moved a one line trust vote which was unanimously passed by a voice vote, showing that the new alliance has been able to hold on to its numbers.

But the trust vote was marked by some acrimonious scenes when Opposition party leader B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP hit Kumaraswamy below the belt as he hurled personal charges. At one point of time, Yeddyurappa even questioned the character of Kumaraswamy. Locking his eyes with Kumaraswamy, he asked “what character do you have? I know you well.”

BSY was vicious in his attack on the Gowdas when he called the father-son combine of H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy as schemers and betrayers. He asked the Congress to be extra cautious as the father-son were habitual back-stabbers. “They stabbed your (Congress) man Dharam Singh and then they stabbed me behind the back. They will do it again,” he said.

Playing an angry man once again, Yeddyurappa told Kumaraswamy “You are nothing but an opportunistic politician and many times you have cheated others just to gain power. You have played cheap politics. Now let me see you keep your promise of waiving farm loans. If you do not do so my Monday, the BJP will launch a statewide agitation,” he said.

Kumaraswamy’s brother H D Revanna often tried to intervene and defend HDK, but the BJP shouted him down.

While being harsh on the Gowdas, BSY was soft on the Congress. His strategy was to exploit the perceived faultline between the JD(S) and the Congress.

At one point of time, in a slip of tongue, he called Siddaramaiah the CM. But he recovered fast to say that in his mind, Siddaramaiah is still the CM as he had done “wonderful work for the State.” He then cautioned Siddaramaiah saying “you were once stabbed by the father (when Deve Gowda threw him out of the JDS) and now the son will stab you.”  

Siddaramaiah sat smiling enjoying the praise from an unexpected source and a one-time bitter rival.

While BSY attacked `resort expert’ DK Shivakumar for constantly protecting the MLAs in resorts, he was soft there too. Playing on DKS’ ambitions, he said “you have a good future and you can become a CM in future, but the present situation is not feasible for you in Congress now,” throwing a hint that the BJP doors are open for him.

After an hour, an angry Kumaraswamy was not able to take it any more and asked the speaker to stop the harangue of the Opposition leader and get on with the trust vote. An angry Yeddyurappa then walked out of the house with his party.

With his hand on this heart, Kumaraswamy said he was sad and upset at such nasty attack from an experienced person. But Speaker Ramesh Kumar acted as a fatherly figure and told Kumaraswamy that he should forgive and move forward.

This is the second time in a row that an angry Yeddyuruappa walked out of the Assembly – the first time when he had to win a trust vote and the second time when he had to defeat a trust vote.

A sarcastic Kumaraswamy said he wanted to know how far Yeddyurappa was capable of walking; after all, he has to come back to the Assembly, he said.

Earlier, the Chief Minister said he went in for a coalition with the Congress as he wanted to bring a stable government for Karnataka capable of good governance. He said he was forced to break off the alliance with the BJP in 2006 as they acted as bullies “forcing me to sign various documents.”

He once again apologised for getting into an alliance with the BJP earlier saying that it was a black spot in his political career which brought shame and disgrace to his father. “I am sorry for this mistake,” he said.

In the morning, senior leader and six time MLA K R Ramesh Kumar of the Congress was  unanimously elected Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. He had held the speaker’s post earlier.

A contest was avoided as S Suresh Kumar of the BJP withdrew his candidature. Opposition leader Yeddyurappa said the BJP withdrew its candidate in keeping with tradition and because the Speaker’s post is apolitical.

As soon as Ramesh Kumar took the chair, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Yeddyurappa, Deputy CM G Parameswara and former CM Siddaramaiah among others paid rich tribute to the new speaker.

Earlier, the JD(S) was put in a bit of an embarrassment as Parameswara openly said that the issue of supporting Kumaraswamy for the full term is not an assured commitment. He hinted that at one point of time the Congress is likely to stake claim to the CM post.