MYSURU: The audio clip with the purported conversation between BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa and a JD(S) leader, helped Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy pre-empt the opposition’s plans to disrupt the assembly session during presentation of the budget, JD(S) leaders said here on Friday.

They claimed that they were aware of the BJP’s attempts to poach their MLAs, but were unable to record conversations as the calls were being made using messaging platform WhatsApp.

Just when they were looking for some material to expose the BJP, Sharan Gouda, son of Nagangouda, JD(S) MLA from Gurmitkal, got a call from BJP leaders asking him to come to the government guesthouse at Devadurga to meet Yeddyurappa.

“Before meeting the BJP leaders, Sharan Gouda called the CM on his cellphone, but there was no response. He reached the guesthouse and was received by two MLAs and Yeddyurappa’s associates. They asked for his mobile before entering Yeddyurappa’s room. However, Sharan Gouda had one more phone with him and had already dialled the CM’s secretary, who was on the line,” a source said.

Kumaraswamy, minister Sa Ra Mahesh and others, who were having dinner, were alerted when they heard Sharan Gouda’s conversation with Yeddyurappa. Kumaraswamy and his colleagues subsequently switched on the loudspeaker to record the conversation.

Kumaraswamy spoke to Sharan Gouda and asked him to come to Bengaluru to attend a hurriedly called press conference. Highly-placed sources said they had also checked the mobile tower location and movement of opposition leaders to ensure that they would not have a case of mistaken identity on hand.

High command summons Siddaramaiah

In the wake of political developments in the state, including party MLAs skipping the Congress Legislature Party meeting, the Congress high command summoned Congress legislative party chief Siddaramaiah to Delhi on Saturday. Siddaramaiah confirmed he was rushing to Delhi.

Cong seeks action against four abstaining MLAs

Bengaluru; The Congress party petitioned the Speaker to initiate action under Anti-Defection Law against four Congress MLAs who abstained from the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting ahead of the budget on Friday. CLP leader Siddaramaiah said they would submit a petition by evening seeking disqualification under the law.

The four MLAs have left the JD(S)-Congress coalition on tenterhooks by their absence from CLP meetings. “It was the unanimous decision of the CLP to proceed further and take legal action against the four MLAs under Anti-Defection Law,” he said. The four MLAs are Ramesh Jarkiholi, Mahesh Kumtahalli, B Nagendra and Umesh Jadhav.

Responding to the letters by CLP, Jadhav has said he is preoccupied, Jarkiholi replied saying that he was attending a marriage, Mahesh said he had health concerns while Nagendra said he couldn’t attend due to personal work. All the four have said they cannot attend till the end of the budget session. On absconding MLA Ganesh, he said opportunity has been given to him as natural justice demands for the same.