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- by Parinda Bureau, January 28, 2006, 11:18 IST
The fate of Congress-led coalition govt. in Karnataka lies in the hands Governor T N Chaturvedi after CM Dharam Singh failed to secure a confidence vote on Friday.
Uproar marred the proceedings in the assembly after which the House was adjourned sine die by Speaker Krishna before the Chief Minister could obtain a vote of trust as directed to by Chaturvedi.
Singh met the Governor and requested him to to fix an early date to enable him to seek the trust vote.
Singh told reporters after meeting the Governor that the date could be either Saturday or the day after.
The Governor, Singh said, assured them he would examine the issue and take a decision on Saturday.
Later, BJP and rebel JD(S) MLAs led by H D Kumaraswamy also met Chaturvedi and sought dismissal of Dharam Singh government on the ground that it had failed to prove its majority on the floor of the House.
On a day of dramatic developments, trouble compounded for Dharam Singh government when Congress failed to persuade a majority of JD(S) MLAs owing loyalty to Kumaraswamy, the rebel son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, to back the government. Gowda resigned as JD(S) President accepting moral responsibility for the failure.
The proceedings in the assembly ended abruptly when Dharam Singh refused to move the trust motion becuase of uproar, ironically caused by his partymen who were in the well of the House against the Speaker recognition of Kumaraswamy as JD(S) Legislature Party leader.
Meanwhile, in another development, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda resigned as JD(S) national president.
In a letter to JD(S) National Vice President Bapu Kaldate, Gowda cited his ''inability to maintain unity within the party unit in Karnataka'' as the reason for quitting the post.
He also sought that the party's National executive be convened on February three to take a decision on a new National President.
He would also then decide his future course of action.
Gowda's resignation came after his last-ditch attempts to save the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government in the state failed.
He met the rebel JD(S) MLAs for over two hours on Friday, but was unsuccessful in convincing them against extending support to the BJP.
In his letter, Gowda said he had not drifted away from his political beliefs, ideology and philosophy.
''But the political developments which I am witnessing now in Karnataka are most unfortunate. I am aghast and pained by the developments. I am a believer of Karma theory. This must be the result of the Karma of my previous birth,'' he added.
''It is an irony of fate that I, being the national President of JD(S) had to plead my inability to maintain party unity in my own state. In these cirucumstances, it is not befitting and fair on my part to continue in the post'' he said.
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