Karnataka coalition crisis: Mumbai Police stop Congress leader DK Shivakumar outside hotel

By Team MyNation  |  First Published Jul 10, 2019, 10:00 AM IST

Anticipating this development, 10 of the 14 rebel MLAs who have quit their posts, and are holed up in a Mumbai resort, had submitted a letter to the Mumbai Police stating that they face threats of visits by Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar

Mumbai: Karnataka Water Resources minister who is also known as the troubleshooter of Congress reached Mumbai to coax rebel Karnataka Congress MLAs to return and withdraw their resignations. But he was met with hurdles as Mumbai Police stopped him from entering the hotel, citing security reasons.

Speaking to media, after meeting the DC in this regard, DK Shivakumar said, "I am not being permitted inside because of security threat. I have a lot of respect for the Maharashtra government. I don't have weapons. I have only a heart to offer and have come to extend my wishes to my friends."

Anticipating this development, 10 of the 14 rebel MLAs who have quit their posts, and are holed up in a Mumbai resort, had submitted a letter to the Mumbai Police stating that they face threats of visits by Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar.

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"We the following elected members of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Karnataka are staying at Hotel Renaissance, Powai in Mumbai, we have heard that Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar and others are going to storm in the hotel premises, we feel threatened. we do not want to meet him. We kindly request to help us in this matter  and do not allow them to enter the premises," stated a letter written by the rebel MLAs to the commissioner of police.

The letter submitted to the Powai police commissioner named ten MLAs including, Shivaram Hebbar, Pratap Gowda Patil, BC Patil, Byrati Basavaraju, ST Somashekar, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Gopalaiyya, H Vishwanath, Narayan Gowda, Mahesh Kumtalli.

Meanwhile, in Karnataka all ministers of the Congress and JD(S) coalition have tendered their resignations as ministers. The government will soon undergo a Cabinet reshuffle. Leaders of the coalition are requesting the rebel MLAs, of which at least 10 are in Mumbai, to return and withdraw their resignations.

However, after scrutinising the resignation letters of the MLAs Karnataka Speaker Ramesh Kumar declared that only 5 were in order and the other eight cannot be accepted due to mistakes.

Reacting to the same, rebel leaders have stated that they will return and resign again in that case but will not withdraw their resignations.

DK Shivakumar is in Mumbai to meet the rebels in this regard. He had managed to keep the Congress MLAs safe in a resort before the formation of the coalition government in May 2018.

However, the letter by the rebel MLAs seeking security has made it difficult for the Congress and JD(S) to reach out to them. 

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