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Updated: Jul 15, 2019 10:32 IST

The 14 rebel Karnataka MLAs, staying in Mumbai’s luxury hotel, have written to state police over an alleged ‘threat’ from senior Karnataka and Maharashtra Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

“We’ve absolutely no intentions in meeting Mallikarjun Kharge, GN Azad or any Congress dignitaries from Maharashtra and Karnataka or any political leader as we anticipate serious threat from them,” MLAs wrote to senior police inspector, Mumbai’s Powai Police Station, according to ANI.

The rebels have been rebuffing efforts by the leaders of Karnataka’s JD(S)-Congress combine to reach out to them in a an effort to find a solution to the crisis triggered by the MLAs resigning on July 6 and then going incommunicado.

Mumbai: 14 rebel K'taka MLAs write to Sr Police Inspector, Powai Police Station. Write '...we've absolutely no intentions in meeting Mallikarjun Kharge, GN Azad or any Congress dignitaries from Maharashtra&K'taka or any political leader as we anticipate serious threat from them.' pic.twitter.com/RfI2Jt6d6D — ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2019

The coalition government, which has been wobbly since it came into being last year, is facing a serious crisis now with 16 MLAs - 13 of the Congress and three of the JD(S) - resigning from their Assembly membership.

Seeking protection, the rebel MLAs urged the police officer to make necessary arrangements to ensure that the leaders are not allowed to meet them.

Also Read | Day after talk of a rethink, Karnataka Congress MLA flies back to Mumbai

“We the respected Members of Karnataka Assembly are currently staying at Renaissance Hotel Powai, would like to inform you that we have absolutely no intentions in meeting Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji or Ghulam Nabi Azad ji or any Congress dignitaries or functionaries from Maharashtra and Karnataka Congress team leaders or any other political leaders. We anticipate serious threat from them. We hereby request you to kindly make necessary arrangements to stop these people from meeting us in case the situation arises,” the letter read.

Among the legislators who signed the letter are Shivram Hebbar, B.C. Patil, Mahesh K, Vishwanath, Muniratnam, Narayan Gowda, R Shankar, H Nagesh, Pratap Patil, Gopalaiah, Ramesh J, MTB Nagraj, Somshekar and Basavaraja.

Earlier last week, the rebel MLAs stonewalled Congress leader DK Shivakumar’s attempts to meet them. He was kept waiting for 5 hours outside the hotel and eventually detained by the Mumbai police.

On July 11, the dissident MLAs had returned to the hotel here after meeting Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar in Bengaluru.

Also Read | Karnataka crisis: More rebels move SC; 1 MLA says back in fold

The development came after the Supreme Court had directed them to meet the Speaker and resubmit their resignations afresh. The top court had on July 12 ordered a status quo until July 16 on a plea filed by 10 dissident MLAs of Congress and JD(S) seeking a direction to the Assembly Speaker to accept their resignation and not proceed with the applications for their disqualification.