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Prove majority or go home. This was the message from Congress as the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka was mired in a fresh crisis, with 13 of its Members of Legislative Assembly announcing their decision to quit their assembly membership.
The party slammed the BJP for its "never-ending drama in Karnataka" saying it "represents the nadir of governance" and claimed that its government was "in shambles" in the southern state for long.
"It is high time that the government prove its majority or go home," All India Congress Committee general secretary B K Hariprasad said.
Hariprasad, who is from Karnataka, alleged that there was no governance and the "resignation drama" has worsened the situation further.
Seeking to push the government into a crisis, 13 Members of Legislative Assembly loyal to Karnataka Janata Party chief B S Yeddyurappa had gone in a delegation on Wednesday to meet Speaker K G Bopaiah to submit their resignation from assembly membership. But the Speaker was out of station, so the MLAs submitted copies of their resignation letters to Governor H R Bhardwaj.
Bhardwaj on Friday indicated that he might ask Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to prove his majority.
Hariprasad said that the hints given by the governor are a welcome development. Hariprasad is a member from Karnataka.
Congress leader and Union Minister Manish Tewari said, "BJP's never-ending naatak in Karnataka represents the nadir of governance. We do hope the people of Karnataka in the ensuing elections would rid the state of this spectacle of nepotism and incompetence".
The governor said he has received the letters from Yeddyurappa and the MLAs.
In the 225-member assembly, BJP has a strength of 117, excluding the Speaker, and it requires 113 for a simple majority. Congress has 71 members and the Janata Dal -- Secular has 26. There are seven Independents and two vacancies. One member is nominated.