BENGALURU: In a fresh setback to the JDS-Congress regime in Karnataka, Congress MLA MTB Nagaraj flew quietly to Mumbai on Sunday to join 12 other rebels at the Renaissance Hotel. On Saturday, he had decided to withdraw his resignation after being persuaded by Congress leaders.

Nagaraj, the housing minister in the coalition government, had resigned from the post after blaming chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s brother HD Revanna, a PWD minister, of interfering with his work. Nagaraj is among the five MLAs who moved the Supreme Court on Saturday against Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar for not accepting their resignations.

On Saturday, Kumaraswamy, Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah and Congress leader DK Shivakumar had managed to persuade Nagaraj to withdraw his resignation. In fact, the coalition saw a ray of hope when he declared that he would withdraw his resignation. He even said he would persuade his colleague K Sudhakar to do the same. But on Sunday, Nagaraj flew to Mumbai.

Addressing the media on Sunday in Mumbai, the rebel MLAs said there was no question of withdrawing their resignations. “We resigned because we were unhappy with the coalition government from day one. There is no faction among the 13 rebel MLAs; we are all united,” said ST Somashekhar, one of the rebels.

State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa on Sunday said: “Let the coalition ask for confidence vote or resign immediately. I will advise the same to Kumaraswamy in the ‘business advisory committee’ meeting. He carries no moral right to continue.”

On Sunday evening, Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah and others met rebel MLA R Ramalinga Reddy to prevail upon him to withdraw his resignation.