Kumaraswamy appeals to rebel MLAs to return

On a day the 12 rebel legislators, holed up in a Mumbai hotel, reiterated that they would not return to Bengaluru to attend the legislature session, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday appealed to them to come back to save the government from “evil forces”, who were trying to subvert democracy.

Mr. Kumaraswamy, in a statement issued on the eve of his confidence motion scheduled to come up before the Assembly for voting, said: “Let us sit together and discuss all issues, including your problems, if any, and arrive at a solution to save this democratically elected government from the evil forces, which are trying shake the very foundation of democracy by misusing their political influence.”

“I would like to appeal to such MLAs who have gone away from us to please attend the legislature session and narrate how the BJP took them away forcibly. I request them to explain on the floor of the House how the BJP sabotaged the democratic edifice and destroyed its sanctity.”