Karanataka Congress leaders demand Yediyurappa's resignation

Stepping up their attack on Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa over a purported video containing his remarks on resignations of Congress and JD-S MLAs, Karnataka Congress leaders on Saturday demanded his resignation.

The party also demanded resignation of BJP chief and union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Yediyurappa has no right to continue in the office.

"We are demanding his resignation because whatever Yediyurappa and Amit Shah are doing is a conspiracy to murder democracy and constitution. He has no right to continue in the office," he said.

Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged that the BJP's central leadership was involved in toppling the coalition government of BJP and JD-S.

"This is another expose on the allegation that we have been making. What more proof do we need?" he said.

Rao said Shah has no moral right to continue as the Home Minister and should resign immediately. "We are filing this evidence in the Supreme Court," he said.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee also submitted a memorandum to President Kovind through the state Governor demanding dismissal of Yediyurappa government and removal of Amit Shah from the council of ministers.

The memorandum accused Yediyurappa and Shah of bringing down coalition government in Karnataka. A pen-drive of purported video of Yediyurappa was also enclosed.

Yediyurappa purportedly says in the video that the decision of the 17 JD-S and Congress MLAs to resign, which led to the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy-led government in July, was taken by the central leadership of the BJP and that the party worker should honour the "sacrifice" of the rebel MLAs.

Yediyurappa took oath as Chief Minister on July 26 after the coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy failed to win the trust vote after 17 MLAs of Congress and JD-S resigned. The MLAs were disqualified in July by then Karnataka Assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar and were barred from contesting polls for the duration of the assembly which ends in 2023.

The Supreme Court last month reserved its verdict on petitions of 15 Karnataka MLAs challenging their disqualification by the state Assembly Speaker ahead of a floor test in June this year.

The Election Commission had earlier deferred the assembly bypolls in Karnataka to December 5 as the case pertaining to the disqualification of 17 MLAs was pending in the Supreme Court.

( With inputs from ANI )