New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Monday, November 4, agreed to hear a matter related to an audio clip in which Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa is purportedly heard backing rebel MLAs of the state's former Congress and JD(S) alliance government. It was the resignation of these rebel MLAs that led to the fall of the H.D. Kumaraswamy government in the state a few months ago.
Appearing for the Congress, senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter before Justice N.V. Ramana, who said it will likely be heard on Tuesday.
B S Yediyurappa
The Congress has alleged that in the audio, Yediyurappa confessed to carrying out what they call 'Operation Kamala' to bring down the H.D.Kumaraswamy-led coalition government.
Sibal pleaded that the audio clip should be taken on record with the ongoing petitions filed by 17 Karnataka MLAs challenging their disqualification from the Assembly. The top court had reserved order on the petition of these MLAs.
Sibal cited it as evidence to support his argument that the 17 MLAs had indeed defected from their respective parties to the BJP.
In July, then Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar disqualified them, rejecting resignations tendered by them. The MLAs had remained absent from the House on July 23 when the chief minister Kumaraswamy put the confidence motion to vote.
Amit Shah not responsible for MLAs resignations – Yediyurappa
"The Congressmen demanding resignation of our national leader, Amit Shah, reflects the heights of stupidity they have reached. Shah has nothing to do with the resignations of the disqualified legislators," said Karnataka chief minister, B S Yediyurappa in Bengaluru on Sunday, November 3.
Yediyurappa claimed that his statement has been meddled to suit the needs of the concerned. It is alleged that Yediyurappa had said in a BJP meeting at Hubballi that 17 legislators from the Congress and the JD(S) had resigned under instructions from BJP national president, Amit Shah.
Taking note of the protests planned by the Congress on this issue, the chief minister said that the disqualified MLAs had resigned for their own reasons, and that they have not been promised party tickets in the bypolls. He accused leader of the opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah, who thinks himself to be an eminent leader, has been making false propaganda, and dismissed his utterances as outright rubbish. He said that Siddaramaiah is not liked by the people within the Congress as he does not know what is right and what is wrong.
In the meantime, the BJP is planning to hold internal inquiry into the leakage of the video. The party has accused Siddaramaiah of leaking this video. BJP state president, Nalin Kumar Kateel, too has said that Siddaramaiah was the one who released the video featuring Yediyurappa.