BS Yediyurappa and Cong leader Siddaramaiah (R)

BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday sailed through the trust vote on the floor of the assembly with the Congress and the JD(S) not insisting on division of votes.

However, the short debate on the trust motion saw sharp exchange of barbs as former CM HD Kumaraswamy and Congress leader Siddaramaiah attacked Yediyurappa calling the BJP government "immoral."

Moving the confidence motion, Yediyurappa alleged that administrative machinery in the State had collapsed during the Congress-JD(S) rule and his priority was to bring it back on track.

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Former CM and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy reacted strongly to the remark and said he was not answerable to chief minister B S Yediyurappa as he had run the government in the Karnataka with utmost clarity among the people.

"I ran the government for 14 months. I have no obligation to answer your (BS Yediyurappa) questions. I need to answer to my conscience. From the past 14 months, everything was being recorded. People know what work I have done," Kumaraswamy said at the Vidhan Soudha just before Yediyurappa won trust vote through voice vote today.

In a veiled jibe at the BJP leader, Kumaraswamy added that the JD(S) will not try to bring down their numbers in the assembly and will work with them for the benefit of the people. "We will not try to bring down your numbers from 105 to either 100 or lower. You speak of drought, at least now let's see how you will work. We will cooperate with you for the sake of people," Kumaraswamy said.

He also accused BJP of leaving the rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs to their fate and praised the speaker for the way in which he acted throughout the fall of the coalition government.

"You(BJP) have left the dissenting and rebel MLAs on roads. Since last week I have been seeing all the developments. Speaker's decision sends a strong message. He didn't act in a hurry. He looked into the matter very carefully and looked into each case," he added.

Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah also attacked Yediyurappa and said his government was "unconstitutional and immoral". The Congress leader also expressed doubts about the BJP govt's longevity.

"You have no mandate of the people," Siddaramaiah told Yediyurappa.

"Where is the mandate in your favour ... where is the majority ... Yediyurappa has become the chief minister with just 105 members," Siddaramaiah said.

"Let us see how long you will be (the chief minister). ... I want you to be (CM) for the full term but I don't think you will be able to complete it (the term)," Siddaramaiah told Yediyurappa.

"Unfortunately, Yediyurappa has never been CM with people's mandate. Where's the mandate? You didn't have it in 2008, 2018 or even now. When he took oath, there were 222 MLAs in House, where did BJP have 112 MLAs for majority? They had 105 seats. That is not mandate," the Congress leader remarked.

Earlier, while moving the confidence motion, Yediyurappa said, "My becoming the chief minister is according to expectations of the people."

He also vowed not to indulge in vendetta politics and said "I will not indulge in politics of vengeance. I believe in the forget and forgive principle."



In Video: BS Yediyurappa wins trust vote in Karnataka assembly