Bengaluru, May 19 (IANS) Celebrations broke out at the Congress party office here as hundreds of its cadres greeted the fall of the 3-day BJP government on Saturday by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets among themselves and even passersby.
"Our cadres celebrated the victory of democracy by breaking hundreds of coconuts at the party minutes after Yeddyurappa resigned and the three-day BJP government fell," a beaming Congress spokesman Ravi Gowda told IANS here.
As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to muster the numbers (112) required for a simple majority in the 224-member hung assembly, Yeddyurappa chose to step down than face the crucial floor test for trust vote, as directed by the Supreme Court on Friday.
Terming Yeddyurappa's resignation as a victory of the Constitution and the rule of law, former Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said democracy had won in Karnataka.
"This is a victory of the public mandate, a victory for our institutions and ideals enshrined in the Constitution. My hearty congratulations to every member of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) for sticking to the path of truth," tweeted Siddaramaiah soon after Yeddyurappa resigned.
Lashing out at state Governor Vajubhai Vala for giving Yeddyurappa 15 days to prove that he had majority in a hung House, the Congress leader said the BJP was hell bent on forming the government by any means though it had only 104 legislators.
"The BJP's attempt showed it had no respect for the Constitution or the people's mandate. It had been functioning in a dictatorial manner, misusing powers to usurp the state. It has kept the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and the Income-Tax department under its clutches," charged Siddaramaiah.
Likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP's National President Amit Shah to Hitler and Goebbles of Nazis in Germany, Siddaramaih said without the blessings of the duo (Modi and Shah), the BJP's state unit could not have indulged in horse-trading and blatant subversion of the Constitution.
"Karnataka has shown the BJP that democracy is not for sale in India," tweeted Siddaramaiah.
Congratulating legislators of the Congress and JD-S for staying together and united in the hour of grave political crisis in the state, Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad lauded them for resisting arm-twisting by the Centre and its agencies.
"They stood by the party principles and decisions taken by the party leadership. Some of our legislators were held captive and under the illegal custody of the BJP. But when they got the opportunity to reach the assembly, they stood by the party. None of the 117 legislators of the Congress, JD-S and Independents had defected," claimed Azad.
Hailing also the judiciary for rising to the occasion and advancing the floor test in the assembly to two days from 15 days the Governor gave to Yeddyurappa to prove majority in a hung House, Azad said there was no reason why the BJP was given over two weeks.
"Giving 15 days was against the spirit of the Constitution, as it would have allowed horse-trading -- winning over legislators of rival parties through bribes and other inducements. The Governor knew that the BJP had no numbers," recalled Azad.
Azad also accused the BJP leaders of luring the Congress members with money and other offers, which they had refused outright.
"It's a victory of democracy, Constitution and the people of Karnataka," added Azad.
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