* Kumaraswamy Govt. in deep trouble.
* "It is not a question of power transfer; it is a question of betrayal. It is also a question of political morality": Yeshwanth Sinha.
* “People of Karnataka will teach JD (S) a fitting lesson”: BJP

As expected, the Bharathiya Janatha Party (BJP) today decided to withdraw support to JD(S) in Karnataka leading to the collapse of JD(S) - BJP coalition Government. The Party's Parliamentary Board, which met here this morning for 30 minutes from 10.30 am, took the decision following BJP Chief Rajnath Singh's meeting last night with JD(S) supremo H. D. Deve Gowda, who made it clear that the coalition would continue only if H. D. Kumaraswamy was allowed to continue as Chief Minister for the remaining 20 months.

Briefing the media after the meeting at the BJP's office on Ashoka Road, senior leader Yeshwanth Sinha said that his party was firm on its demand that the agreement between Kumaraswamy and B. S. Yediyurappa reached at 20 months ago, should be implemented in toto. Sinha also said that his party would demand immediate polls in Karnataka.

Sinha praises cartoon:
Sinha, who circulated among the media persons copies of a cartoon (by Ponnappa) in The Times of India this morning which carries a caricature of a currency note with the portrait of Deve Gowda with the legend "I do not promise to pay the bearer a thousand rupees", praised the cartoonist saying that he had depicted the attitude of the JD(S) supremo "very correctly".

Worst betrayal:
BJP Vice - President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who was also present, described the JD(S) act as the "worst ever betrayal in the political history of India". "People of Karnataka will never excuse the JD (S) for the betrayal", he remarked.

A lesson to BJP:
Replying to queries, Sinha admitted that "we have learnt a lesson. We will be very careful in future". The BJP leader said that the agreement between Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa 20 months ago was transparent. "But in recent days, Deve Gowda resorted to lame excuses destroying the spirit of the agreement".

Sinha told a questioner that in this episode “it is not a question of transfer of power; it is a question of political morality". Asked whether BJP would enter into coalitions in future too despite such bitter experience, Sinha said that every thing was possible in politics. "But we will be careful", he added.

He hoped that the people of Karnataka would teach a fitting lesson to the JD (S) in the next elections. On whether the BJP would project Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister during the next elections, Sinha said that he would not like to talk about it now.

"We will take decision about it while going to polls", he said.

With this, the BJP has pulled the plug of the life supporting system of the coalition. Now, the JD(S) is looking for new life supporting system, which may come in the form of Congress.

Cong. waits:
AICC (I) leader Prithviraj Chauhan said that the Congress will wait for the Governor's move in Karnataka.

Courtesy: Star of Mysore