Congress wooing rebel MLAs

KALABURAGI: Though Congress leaders like Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are saying in public that they are not trying to coax dissident MLAs, the fact is somewhat different. Not only is the Congress trying its best to woo the dissidents, its working president is even working on trying to establishing contact with them.

Sources close to KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre told TNIE that if the “confusing” present political situation in Karnataka continues, the Centre has the option to dissolve the assembly and opt for fresh elections, or keep the assembly under suspension for an indefinite period or impose President’s rule which is undesirable to all parties, including the BJP. 

Sources say Khandre has established contact with dissident Congress MLAs, who are camping in Pune, through mediators, and is now looking for a meeting.

Khandre and his some of his followers went to Pune on Thursday evening, but on record he said that he was going there for personal work. If the meeting between Khandre and dissident Congress MLAs takes place, he plans to convey that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa may find it difficult to fulfil assurances given to them.  

Sources said Khandre will tell them that Yeddyurappa has still not got the green signal from the top brass to form the government. This apart, the dissidents cannot vote in the assembly and support Yeddyurappa to be a chief minister. He also plans to tell them that many of them may face disqualification and their political future would be under question.