BJP ministers resign in Karnataka

The BJP ministers in Karnataka on Wednesday resigned in a bid to mount pressure on its coalition partner JD(S) to transfer power.

The BJP ministers in Karnataka on Wednesday resigned in a bid to mount pressure on its coalition partner JD(S) to transfer power as Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy refused to heed the deadline for passing on the baton originally scheduled on Wednesday.

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The saffron party, however, appears to have not totally given up hopes of JD(S) transferring power to it, notwithstanding the battle of attrition between the two sides in the last few days.

The Chief Minister, who came to power 20 months ago under a deal with BJP, reacted to the resignations as a "childish act" but said he would not resign as demanded by BJP as such decisions could not be taken in haste.

He and his father JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda made it clear that any decision on power transfer would have to wait till the party's political affairs committe meeting in Delhi on October five.

In Delhi, BJP chief Rajnath Singh claimed Gowda would be in Delhi on October five and they would discuss the issue.

Following day-long consultations and as the deadline set by BJP for Kumaraswamy to step down expired, central emissary Yashwant Sinha announced the resignation of all the ministers but maintained that the coalition was still not over.

"The BJP wants the coalition arrangement to continue as it reflects the mandate of the people", he said adding the party would not compromise on the power-sharing agreement reached in February last year.

"The agreement is sacrosanct, sacred. The JD(S) should implement it", he said.

However, JD(S) state unit President Mehrajuddin Patel said the agreement was reached between Kumaraswamy and BJP and JD(S) has nothing to do with it.