india

Updated: Jan 16, 2019 20:00 IST

As Congress lawmaker L B P Bheema Naik reached a guest house in Bengaluru where party leaders were gathered, the Congress claimed that it had defeated any possibility of desertion in its ranks and called a meeting of its legislature party on Friday to show its strength.

The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance government had been jolted by the withdrawal of support by two Independent MLAs, who had been part of the government, on Tuesday.

There had been speculation in the state that the government was set to fall even as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party continued to keep its MLAs in a resort in Gurugram.

Arriving at the Kumar Krupa Guest House – where Congress general secretary in charge of state, KC Venugopal, was staying and where Congress leaders had congregated –, Naik said there was no truth to the allegation that he had been approached by the BJP. The fact that his mobile had been switched off had led to speculation that he was one among five Congress MLAs who had switched sides.

“I have two mobile numbers and one of them was switched off. There is no truth to these allegations against me. I have not been approached by the BJP,” Naik told reporters.

Even as the day began with speculation indications that the Congress was unperturbed came with the news that its trouble shooter in the state, irrigation minister DK Shivakumar, had gone to Maharashtra’s Aurangabad to attend an international conference. Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is the chief of the Congress Legislature Party, too, took to the road, visiting Chickamagaluru district.

Speaking to HT later in the day, home minister MB Patil maintained there was no question of any operation to poach Congress MLAs. “All of our leaders are in touch with us and they will arrive for the legislature party meeting where everybody will see that we are united and that this government is strong,” he said.

“In fact, one of the independent MLAs who withdrew support on Tuesday also got in touch with us, expressing his desire to join us again,” Patil added.

Meanwhile, state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the episode had exposed the BJP and its “unethical politics”. “Today the nation is witness to the level to which the BJP is willing to stoop to destabilise a state government. These past two days have only strengthened our coalition further,” he said.

Union minister and former Karnataka chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who had said on Tuesday that his party would form the government if the current one fell, refused to comment on the day’s developments. “ I’m unaware of the developments as I am in Delhi to attend Cabinet meetings,” he said.