BJP involved in "conspiracy" to lure MLAs in Karnataka, Goa: Congress

PUDUCHERRY: The Congress Sunday alleged that the BJP was involved in the "conspiracy" in Karnataka and Goa, to lure their party legislators.

Talking to reporters here, AICC Secretary Sanjay Dutt, in charge of the Congress party affairs in Puducherry said with respect to Tamil Nadu, the BJP was of view that the Speaker of the Assembly was supreme to take decisions on matters relating to the House.

However, in Karnataka,the BJP was not ready to accept the authority of the Assembly Speaker even though he was adhering to the rule book and the procedure, he said.

Dutt was here to participate in the candle light march and demonstration organised by PCC to condemn the "Operation Kamala" strategy of the BJP in Karnataka and Goa.

"In Karnataka, the BJP leaders do not want the Speaker even to be given time to study the statue book to satisfy himself if the resignation by legislators is voluntary or through allurement or through corrupt means," the AICC Secretary said.

On some Congress MLAs switching over to the BJP in Goa, he said, "it is obvious that when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah say that they want to make Congress mukt Bharat they are only strategising democracy mukt Bharath."

"The BJP leaders were involved in the conspiracy in Karnataka and Goa," he added.

In Karnataka, 16 MLAs belonging to the Congress-JDS coalition have resigned form the state assembly, pushing the 13-month old government to the brink of collapse.

A group of ten Congress MLAs in Goa led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar had on July 10 merged with the ruling BJP, increasing the saffron party's strength to 27 in the 40-seat house.

Referring to a recent Supreme Court order rejecting the plea of Kiran Bedi in the power tussle issue, he said the apex court order was a "slap" on the the Lt Governor for "misusing" constitutional office and "overstepping" the legal norms.

Charging the Lt Governor with "stalling" the developmental works here, Dutt asked Bedi to quit the post of Lt Governor and "make way" for someone who was sensitive to aspirations of the people of Puducherry.