Disqualification of rebel MLAs to send strong signal across country: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday welcomed state Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar's decision to disqualify rebel MLAs and said that it will send a strong signal to the elected representatives across the country.

Taking to Twitter, the senior Congress leader said, "I welcome the decision of the speaker to disqualify 14 MLAs. This honest decision of speaker will send strong signals for all the representatives in the country who might fall for @BJP4India's trap."

I welcome the decision of spreaker to disqualify 14 MLAs. This honest decision of speaker will send strong signals for all the representatives in the country who might fall for @BJP4India's trap.@INCKarnataka — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) July 28, 2019

On Sunday, the Karnataka Speaker disqualified 14 rebel Congress-JDS legislators, who had earlier resigned from the assembly, a day ahead of the trust vote scheduled to be held on Monday. On July 25, three other MLAs of Karnataka Assembly were disqualified. 

The total number of disqualified MLAs now stands at 17.

The rebel MLAs were disqualified for failing to appear for the trust vote in the House on July 23, when former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy put the confidence motion to vote for proving majority but failed to do.

"As the remaining 11 Congress and 3 JD-S rebel legislators also defied their respective party`s whip by remaining absent from the Assembly on July 23 when the motion was to put vote, they have violated the anti-defection law," the Speaker had said while giving his reasons for disqualifying MLAs.

The Speaker also barred the disqualified MLAs from contesting the bypolls which are likely to be held in all those constituencies which were represented by them in the state assembly.

On being asked if the Congress-JD(S) coalition would continue for the bypolls, Siddaramaiah refused to give a clear answer, news agency ANI had reported.