Bengaluru, March 13: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday alleged that the BJP is putting pressure on the Congress MLAs from Odisha and offering them big inducements to cross vote in favour of its Rajya Sabha candidate, amid fears of “Operation Lotus”.
Shivakumar, who is the Congress Karnataka unit chief told reporters that the saffron party may orchestrate “Operation Lotus,” due to which Congress MLAs from BJP-ruled Odisha have been flown to Bengaluru.
“There is a fear that they (BJP) may carry out Operation Lotus. They (BJP) are putting a lot of pressure on our people and offering them big inducements. So there is a lot of pressure on everyone. They want to win the Rajya Sabha seat somehow,” Shivakumar claimed, after meeting the Odisha opposition MLAs camping here.
“Operation Lotus” is a term used by its rivals to claim about the BJP’s alleged backdoor attempts to get support of the MLAs from the opposite camp to either form a government or to win a seat in the Rajya Sabha election.
According to party sources, around eight MLAs from the party’s Odisha unit were flown from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru late on Thursday night and have been accommodated at a resort on the outskirts of the city.
Six more MLAs, along with their Congress Odisha president will be reaching Bengaluru in the night.
The move, party insiders said, is aimed at ensuring unity among the legislators in the run-up to the March 16 biennial election.
Sources added that the decision was taken as a precautionary measure after the BJP fielded a second candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat, triggering intense political maneuvering in the state.
Congress sources said the MLAs are expected to remain here until Monday morning before returning to Bhubaneswar to participate in the voting for the Rajya Sabha election.
There were concerns about possible cross-voting and attempts to influence MLAs. As a safeguard, the leadership decided to move them out of the state until the voting, a Congress functionary said.
Cong MLAs moved
to Himachal
In an attempt to keep its flock together, Congress on Friday moved its Haryana MLAs to Himachal Pradesh ahead of the polling for two Rajya Sabha seats in Haryana on March 16, according to sources.
BJP’s Sanjay Bhatia, Congress’ Karamvir Singh Boudh and BJP-backed Independent candidate Satish Nandal are in the fray for the polls.
Congress with 37 members in the Assembly has the required strength to help its candidate win a seat. The prospects, however, could be in jeopardy in case of cross-voting. (PTI)
