Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy puts up a brave front\, but rebel MLAs lawyer says government is in a minority

• The total count of state government’s rebel MPs has now is currently at 15, after one defector had joined them back.
  
• One of the rebel Congress MLAs, Roshan Baig was detained at the Bengaluru airport while he was taking a chartered flight, as per IANS.
  
• State government’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also claimed that it has the required number in its favour.
  

As a trust vote has become inevitable, the chief minister of Karnataka said that he is confident of providing that he has enough MLAs on his side to keep the government. The Congress and JD-S coalition government will have to face a vote on June 18, after as many as 16 MLAs of the both the parties resigned throwing it into a state of crisis.

The total count of rebel MPs is currently at 15, after one defector had joined the ruling party.

‘Rebels can’t be forced’

The rebel MLAs too are continuing their legal battle on their right to resign. Their lawyer and country’s top lawyer Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court today that the MLAs cannot be forced to attend the state assembly.

"This government is in a minority and that's simple math," Rohatgi told the court. CM Kumaraswamy, on July 12 had said, that he is ready to face a trust vote on the floor of the house.

In the meanwhile, the state government’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also claimed that it has the required number in its favour to possibly form a government.

One rebel MLA held at airport

The ballooning issue has many interesting developments, today. One of the rebel Congress MLAs, Roshan Baig was detained at the Bengaluru airport while he was trying to take a chartered flight, as per IANS.

“Baig was detained for questioning at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) when he was about to take off in a private aircraft to an unconfirmed destination from Bangalore,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) B.R. Ravikantha Gowda was reported saying.

Baig had kickstarted the crisis by tendering his resignation on June 10. After that, 15 MLAs across both the coalition parties followed suit, shaking up the state government.

Karnataka politics had turned into a battle ground after MLAs resigned from the ruling government. However, the speaker did not accept the resignations terming saying that it violates constitutional rights.

The MLAs had accused the Speaker Ramesh Kumar of not accepting their resignations, even when they were in accordance with the Indian constitution.

“We are now 15 MLAs who want to resign but there is no formal acceptance by Speaker. Idea is not to defect, but resign so that we can go back to public and contest,” said Mukul Rohatagi, earlier told a Supreme Court bench which includes Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.