The Congress welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on the disqualification of Karnataka MLAs and said it has once again vindicated the party’s stand. The party hailed the Supreme Court for “exposing” Operation Kamal of the BJP and demanded the Centre to dismiss BS Yediyurappa government in the light of the verdict.

Operation Kamal

Congress leaders told reporters here on Wednesday that the BJP and its president used nefarious methods to poach MLAs from other parties with the sole aim of bringing down an elected government and installing Yediyurappa as Chief Minister. The party cited an alleged telephone conversation between Yediyurappa and Union Home Minister to prove its point.

“It is now established beyond doubt that a democratically elected government was felled by using massive inducements, threats and allurements in disregard of every basic tenets of public propriety. It goes on to establish that the present Yediyurappa Government is an illegitimate government,” party spokespersons Randeep Singh Surjewala and Abhishek Singhvi said here at a press conference.

“It will be in fitness of things — constitutional propriety, democratic values and political fairness that not only is this illegitimate government dismissed, but an impartial court monitored investigation be undertaken to ascertain the role of money and muscle power played in destabilising the Congress-JD(S) government,” the leaders said.

They alleged that the “Yediyurappa tapes” and the black money mentioned in it should be examined. “The role of BJP Leadership should be scrutinised, and the guilty be brought to book. Now the ball is in Prime Minister's court. Will he have the courage to sack the illegitimate Yediyurappa Government, since he is often found preaching about morality in public life?” they asked.