Bangalore, Mar 20 (PTI) : Opposition leader in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah today demanded the resignation of Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda, saying his cabinet colleagues and Yeddyurappa loyalists, who abstained from attending house proceedings today, ''have lost faith in him.''
"The Chief Minister should resign as he has lost the confidence of his cabinet colleagues and legislators loyal to former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who abstained from attending house proceedings," he said.
He was referring to the worsening leadership crisis in ruling BJP in Karnataka and Yeddyurappa loyalists boycotting the budget session on the opening day, insisting on an early legislature party meet to elect a new leader.
Siddaramaiah also said Gowda has no moral right to continue in office and there is 'zero governance' in the state.
Deputy Opposition Leader T B Jayachandra objected to the delay in issuing notice on House proceedings.
Replying to the point raised by Jayachandra, Speaker K G Bopaiah said he called the session within time as prescribed by law and moved condolence motion to pay tributes to former minister V S Acharya, who died of a heart attack on February 14.
BJP crisis shadow over Karnataka budget
Bangalore, Mar 20 (IANS) : Karnataka Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda will present the state budget Wednesday as a majority of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators supporting B.S. Yeddyurappa boycotted the assembly session that began here Tuesday.
This will be the last budget of the corruption-scarred BJP's maiden rule in the southern state. Assembly polls are due in April-May next year, though they may be held earlier if the faction-ridden party fails to solve the crisis triggered by Yeddyurappa's demand for re-instatement as chief minister.
Yeddyurappa, who was forced to quit July 31 last year over corruption charges, led a boycott of the budget session that began Tuesday seeking a commitment from party's national leaders that he will be made chief minister again soon. BJP's national leaders seem to have placated him somewhat as he has now dropped the demand that only he should present the budget and not Gowda, who took over from him Aug 4, ironically as his candidate.
Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai, a Yeddyurappa loyalist, told reporters here that the party central leadership "will be sending an emissary to Bangalore to resolve the leadership issue and Gowda will present the budget Wednesday".
The ten-day budget session began with empty BJP benches prompting opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular members to mock the ruling party over the infighting for chief minister's post. Claiming the support of around 70 of the 120 BJP members in the 225-member assembly, Yeddyurappa has taken his supporters to a resort on Bangalore outskirts and staying put there.
It is still not clear whether he and all his supporters, which include several ministers, will attend the session Wednesday. His camp had token presence in the house Tuesday - Rural Development Minister Jagadish Shettar and Public Works Minister C. M. Udasi, and two legislators, Lakshminarayan and Chandrakant Bellad.
'Musical Chairs'