Bengaluru: Every step he takes will become history and he cannot afford to make any mistakes, Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, who holds the key to the future of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, said yesterday.
All eyes are now on Kumar who has to take a call on the resignations tendered by 13 MLAs of the Congress and the JD(S) from the Assembly.
Asked whether the resignations submitted to his office were acceptable, Kumar hinted the MLAs might have to personally hand them in and told reporters, "Then I am not required at all. If everything can happen through postal correspondence, I am not required at all." The MLAs -- along with two independent MLAs -- are said to be camping somewhere in Maharashtra and have most likely switched their loyalty to the BJP.
Ahead of the assembly session from July 12, the speaker's decision on the resignation letters holds great value as it will decide the future of the shaky coalition government led by H D Kumaraswamy.
With the support of the two independents, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member House, where the half-way mark is 113. If the resignations of the 13 MLAs are accepted, the coalition's tally will be reduced to 103. The speaker also has a vote.
Asserting that he will go through the rule book, the speaker said he will consult seniors about the developments, whether the resignations can be accepted or was a different course of action needed.
"I have to make a conscious decision. Every step I take will become history, so I can't be committing a mistake. Future generations should not look at me like an accused," Kumar added.
Resignation letters of 8 of 13 MLAs not in format: Ktka Speaker
Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar yesterday said the resignation letters of eight out of 13 MLAs of the ruling coalition were not in the prescribed format and he has asked the legislators to submit them properly. The fate of the 13-month-old Congress-JD(S) government led by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is hinged on the Speaker's decision on the resignation of the 14 MLAs including Shivajinagar MLA R Roshan Baig who joined the bandwagon of dissidents yesterday.