K'taka Cong Urges SC To Take On Record Audio Clip Of CM Yediyurappa In MLAs Disqualification Case

The Karnataka Congress on Monday requested the Supreme Court, hearing the 17 MLAs' disqualification case, to take on record a fresh audio clip in which Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is purportedly hitting out at his party leaders for not recognising the "sacrifice" of the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, because of whom the BJP could come to power.

A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said it will consult Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi for constituting the bench on Tuesday to consider the fresh material given by the Karnataka Congress.

A purported audio clip of Yediyurappa expressing anguish against leaders at a recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs for the December 5 Assembly by-polls in 15 constituencies had surfaced last Friday.

In the audio, he is purportedly saying that the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAs, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumabi during the final days of the coalition government under BJP national President Amit Shah's watch.

By-polls to 15 out of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, whose resignation and absence from trust vote lead to the fall of Congress-JD(S) coalition government and made way for BJP to come to power, will be held on December 5.

Amid opposition from local party leaders in these 15 constituencies, Yediyurappa had recently assured that tickets would be given to the disqualified MLAs if they wished to contest for BJP and had appointed party contenders for the tickets there as heads of boards and corporations.

Stating that it was a different matter whether the BJP wins or loses an election, he says the disqualified MLAs have given the party an opportunity to come to power by resigning the MLA's posts and have even moved the Supreme Court with a plea that their resignations be accepted.

After the fall of the coalition government, the then Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar had disqualified them as MLAs, ruling that they cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023). The disqualified MLAs have challenged it in the Supreme Court.

The top court had on October 25 reserved verdict on the batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of the 17 Karnataka MLAs before the trust vote moved by the previous H D Kumaraswamy government.