Bengaluru: In the wake of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy deciding to seek a trust vote, Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Friday said a slot would be allotted whenever he opted for it.
"The chief minister has spoken his mind that he would not cling to power amid the confusion. He said he will seek the trust of the House," Kumar said. "Whenever he tells me that he wants to move the trust motion, the very next day I will put it in the business of the day."
An embattled Kumaraswamy on Friday sought time from the Speaker to move the trust vote in the House in the wake of resignation by 16 MLAs — 13 from the Congress and three from the Janata Dal (Secular). Two Independent MLAs had also withdrawn support to the government and aligned with the BJP.
Meanwhile, the BJP in Karnataka decided to move its MLAs to a resort near Bengaluru amid fears of poaching by the ruling Congress-JDS combine.
To a question on why Kumaraswamy sought a trust vote while paying condolences in the Assembly, the Speaker said the chief minister should be asked that question.
"I feel that it can be heard because he had said that he will not cling to power in the current situation. I cannot say that I will hear it today itself. He has only informed me that on a certain day he will seek the trust vote. My job will be to include it in the list of business of the day," Kumar said.
Kumar was supposed to start the hearing on the resignation of three MLAs — Anand Singh, Prathap Gouda Patil and Narayana Gowda. However, two of them approached the Supreme Court, which directed the Speaker to maintain 'status quo'.
Asked whether he would still start proceedings on their resignations, Kumar said, "I will start the process if they come. If they don't come I will sleep at home. That's it."
The resignations have pushed the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state to the brink. If the resignations are accepted, the coalition of Congress and JD(S) will have 100 members while the BJP will have 107.
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