Yeddyurappa resignation: It's victory of democracy, says Azad

Bengaluru, May 19 (AZINS) Soon after Karnataka Chief Minister B.S Yeddyurappa announced to resign before the floor test on Saturday in the assembly, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad described it as the "victory of democracy".

The Congress leader also thanked the MLAs of his party and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), and the two Independents for standing by the decision of the party leaderships.

Azad said that JD-S leader H.D. Kumaraswamy will soon stake the claim to form the government in state.

"We thank the MLAs of Congress, JD-S, one BSP candidate and Independents, who resisted all sorts of temptation and arm-twisting by the Central government and its agencies, and stood by the decision taken by their party leaderships," Azad told the media outside the Karnataka Assembly.

He alleged that some of the Congress legislators were kidnapped and they were under illegal custiody of the BJP. "And as and when they got the opportunity to reach the assembly, they stood by the party. None of our members -- be from the Congress, JD-S or Independent, defected," he said.

He also said that the Congress along with the JD-S and two Independent MLAs has 117 MLAs as against 104 of the BJP.

The Rajya Sabha MP also thanked the Supreme Court for rising to the occasion.

"I would also like to thank the judiciary... The Supreme Court, who once again rose to the occasion and brought the date from 15 days to two and half days as the Governor had given two weeks time to the CM of Karnataka to break our parties."

Slamming Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, Azad said: "He had given time for horse trading. But when we approached the SC, they found no reason why the should BJP be given 14-15 days to prove the majority when they have the numbers.

"If they have the numbers, they should produce before the assembly and win the vote of confidence. But the Governor knew that the BJP does not have the numbers, therefore, he wanted to give the BJP and the Central government a long rope...to break MLAs," he said.

Azad also alleged that the party has the recordings of the BJP leaders making offers to the Congress MLAs.

"We have recordings. A large number of our MLAs have recordings of warning the BJP leaders including the CM (Yeddyurappa) and some agencies who approached our leaders and tried to lure all kinds of money and position," he said.

"But our MLAs rejected uprightly all those offers by the Central and state governments and the BJP. So it's a victory of democracy, Constitution of India and the rule of law," he said.

The Congress leader said: "And, now we are waiting keenly that the Governor will invite Kumaraswamy to form the government."