New Delhi: The coalition government in Karnataka is on the verge of collapse with both the JD(S) and the BJP taking tough stands on the issue of transfer of power.
However, the BJP has still not given up hope that power would be transferred to it and mounted pressure on JD(S) with all its ministers in the coalition government resigning after Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy failed to resign.
Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, along with a few ministers belonging to his party, met Kumaraswamy on Tuesday night and handed over the resignation of BJP ministers.
"Since we have not heard anything from JD(S) till now, all the ministers, including Yediyurappa, would proceed to the Chief Minister and hand over the resignations," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Addressing a Gandhi Jayanti function on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy had rejected BJP's deadline for the transfer of power as per an agreement that the two parties had reached 20 months ago.
"There can't be a deadline for power transfer in the state," he had said.
Kumaraswamy had sought time till October 5 — the day JD(S) is slated to hold its political affairs committee meeting — to take a decision on power transfer.
BJP had set Tiuesday evening as the deadline for Kumaraswamy to tender his resignation and handing over the letter of support in order for the Governor to invite Yediyurappa to form the Government.
Now the party is not ready to negotiate further with JD(S). Yashwant Sinha told CNN-IBN, "Now the time has come to redeem the pledge made 20 months ago. There is no scope for further negotiations."
As per the coalition agreement reached between Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in February 2006, the JD(S) was to keep the Chief Minister's post for the first 20 months in power and the BJP for the remaining 20 months.
However, even as the final countdown begins for handing over the reins of power, Deve Gowda has said that he wants his son to remain the Chief Minister of the state.
He told CNN-IBN that his party members would meet on October 4 in Bangalore to decide their next course of action.
JD(S) sources have told CNN-IBN that the party has virtually decided against handing over chief ministership to BJP.
An earlier meeting between Yashwant Sinha and Deve Gowda proved inconclusive with Deve Gowda hardening his stand and saying that he was prepared for snap polls.
JD(S) has taken a hard stand over the last few days as soon as it realised that it was holding the upper hand in negotiations after winning 54 seats in the Karnataka urban local body elections.
The JD(S) swept past the BJP and the Congress, marching on to win almost 30 per cent of the total seats.
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