Karnataka Congress MP Nasir Hussain on Friday hinted at the possibility of his party approaching the Supreme Court over Governor Vajubhai Vala's message to the Speaker to wrap up the trust vote in the Assembly.
"I think the Congress party will go to Supreme Court because Governor cannot interfere in the matter of Speaker, he has no right to do it. Governor is arbitrarily interfering and trying to work as an agent of a party", Hussain told .
On being asked whether there is clarity on when will they move to SC, he said, "I believe Congress will go to the apex court. He is working against established norms of assembly. Also, Congress can go to the court to challenge the first order because we were not a party into it.
Stating that the judgement was regarding his party MLA in which we were told that we cannot issue a whip, however, unless we put forward our argument how can be there be a decision. We have objection over the Supreme Court order. If we cannot issue whip how can we go for a vote of confidence? I believe congress will go to court in both cases."
He also cited the previous judgment of the court and said, "I believe that the SC judgement has clearly pointed out that the authority of speaker in supreme and there cannot be interference into it. Timing of trust vote and functioning of assembly has to be decided by the speaker of the assembly. Governor can only give direction that a vote of confidence request has come and may request the speaker to take it. Governor cannot fix deadlines for the trust vote."
He also accused the governor of subverting the constitutional process and added, "Governor is not working as a constitutional authority but as an agent of BJP. This is an attempt to subvert the democratic process. In India, there can only be the rule of the constitution can be there."
Hussain's assertions come little before the beginning of day's session in the Karnataka assembly.
Shortly, after the Karnataka Assembly was adjourned on Thursday without a trial of strength, Governor Vajubhai Vala wrote a letter to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy asking him to prove majority on the floor of the House by tomorrow afternoon.
Vala told Kumaraswamy to prove his government's majority by 1.30 pm on Friday. This came after a BJP delegation headed by former minister Jagdish Shettar rushed to the Raj Bhavan and met the Governor seeking completion of the business today itself.
Amid a furore on the issue with BJP members demanding that the confidence motion be put to vote immediately, the Chair adjourned the House till the next day. The BJP announced that its members will spend the night in the House in protest.
The 13-month-old Congress-JDS government had earlier this month slumped into a minority following the resignation of the dissident MLAs. Sixteen MLAs from the ruling coalition including thirteen Congress and three JD(S) MLAs have resigned.
( With inputs from ANI )