Bengaluru: “A BJP leader has spoken about 20 Congress MLAs; today 9-10 BJP (MLAs) are in touch with us,” said senior Congress leader in Karnataka B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan yesterday.
His remarks come two days after the BJP chief in State BS Yeddyurappa said the longevity of the Karnataka government would depend on the stand taken by the 20 disgruntled Congress members after the Lok Sabha election results.
Speaking to reporters, Khan said that from the day the JD(S)-Congress coalition formed the government, the BJP has been trying to topple it and that it is not something new. He furthjer said that Yeddyurappa was daydreaming about coming to power.
When he was asked to list out the names, the minister said “Let the BJP give the names of 20 Congress people, we will also give the names of nine BJP people.”
Claiming that nothing would happen, Khan declared that he would retire from politics if the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government falls after the election results on 23 May and challenged the BJP leaders to do the same if the coalition continues.
State Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao also hit out at the BJP over its claims and said the results would “shut the mouths” of those speculating about the fall of the coalition government. “Earlier, too, they (BJP) had said the government will fall after Diwali, then Sankranti. They don’t believe in their statements themselves. They don’t have the guts, so they are making such false statements,” Rao said. Both the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are “baffled” as they know their defeat in the polls is imminent, the Congress leader told reporters in Hubli.