Stung by the remarks made by Janata Dal Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy on decisions being taken by the government without consulting its ally, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said he will not take any further decision until he passes the floor test.
Yeddyurappa will be taking the floor test on November 19, while the JD-S will swear in its ministers on November 21. The date of the swearing in was decided at the JD-S Legislature Party meeting held on Wednesday.
The JD-S will swear in 18 ministers while the BJP will have 16. When Kumaraswamy was the chief minister, the BJP had 18 ministers and the JD-S 16. Both parties are expected to finalise the list of ministers in a couple of days and are under severe pressure to induct new faces.
Yeddyurappa's decision to remain disconnected from important work may have pleased the coalition partner, but for the people of the state, it is a long wait. They will have now had to wait till November 21 for any sort of work to take place.
Yeddyurappa and his four-member Cabinet had taken several important decisions in the past three days. Kumaraswamy had said that it was not right for the chief minister to take important policy decisions without consulting with his coalition partners. "What is the hurry," Kumaraswamy had sought to know.
A visibly-upset Yeddyurappa did not specify why he had decided against taking any decisions but it was evident that he was stung by his coalition partner's warning. Yeddyurappa also said that he will be going to New Delhi and request the Centre to grant funds for the state. However, that appears to have been put on hold for now.
Coverage: Political Crisis in Karnataka