Dark Day for Democracy: Cong Top Brass on Karnataka Govt Collapse

Rahul Gandhi said the greed of those who saw the alliance as an obstacle in their path to power won.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@RahulGandhi)

Hours after the fall of the Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, 23 July said the greed of those who saw the alliance as an obstacle in their path to power won, while democracy and the state's people lost.

The Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka collapsed after the confidence motion moved by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was defeated in the assembly, ending his 14-month long turbulent tenure.

"From its first day, the Cong-JDS alliance in Karnataka was a target for vested interests, both within & outside, who saw the alliance as a threat & an obstacle in their path to power. Their greed won today," Gandhi tweeted.

“Democracy, honesty and the people of Karnataka lost.”

Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

‘Every Lie is Eventually Exposed’: Priyanka Gandhi

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also reacted. She said that one day the BJP will discover that everything cannot be bought, everyone cannot be bullied and every lie is eventually exposed.

“Until then I suppose, the citizens of our country will have to endure their unbridled corruption, the systematic dismantling of institutions that protect the people’s interests and the weakening of a democracy that took decades of toil and sacrifice to build.”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress Leader

Capping a three-week-long high-voltage intense power struggle triggered by a raft of resignations by rebel lawmakers that pushed the government to the brink of collapse, the motion in the Karnataka Assembly was defeated with 99 members voting for the motion and 105 against it.

BJP Conducted Cattle Auction in Karnataka: Shashi Tharoor

Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor, on the Karnataka government collapse said that the BJP, the party that has banned cattle auctions across the country, has conducted one successfully in Karnataka.

He further applauded the courage and principle shown by the Congress leaders like DK Sihvakumar who tried to hold fort for the past three weeks since the defecting MLAs resigned from the ruling coalition.

“We shall overcome one day.” 

Shashi Tharoor, MP, Thiruvananthapuram

‘Dark Day for Democracy’: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called the developments in Karnataka as a dark day for democracy. He said that the government in Karnataka fell “because of nefarious designs and power grabbing tactics of the BJP.”

Gehlot further said that despite getting such a huge mandate in the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP wasn’t expected to indulge in horse trading.

“People of this country gave a huge mandate to NDA and nobody expected they would engage in horse trading & destabilize govts on basis of money power.”

Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan

BJP Setting Bad Precedent: DK Shivakumar

Congress’ chief troubleshooter in Karnataka, DK Shivakumar said that the BJP is setting a bad precedent by forming a government using Operation Kamala.

Shivakumar further tweeted his thanks to the people of Karnataka, who gave him the opportunity to serve them.

(With PTI inputs)