HYDERABAD: With taking to the sky no more being an option, as they were allegedly denied permission, newly elected Karnataka legislators of Congress and JD(S) made a hurried ‘escape’ to Hyderabad in two buses in the small hours on Friday.
Over a hundred MLAs were cramped into the two buses, until a third one was arranged about an hour after the 580-odd-km journey to Hyderabad began from Bengaluru.
Their plans to fly out flopped as their chartered flights were allegedly cancelled just 30 minutes ahead of scheduled departure. The organisers swiftly changed plans and arranged the buses. The convoy of buses covered 500 km in just eight hours and made the first stop about 80 km ahead of the city for a tea break, at 5 am Friday.
While Congress legislators reached Taj Krishna at Banjara Hills, JD(S) members got a city darshan as they were first taken to a farm house, then to Park Hyatt before finally settling down at Novotel in Hitec City. Overzealous hotel security staff denied entry for anyone else into the Taj, including journalists. But, the Congress memebrs could be seen walking around the lobby and hotel premises.
Soon after, Congress leaders from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh arrived at the hotel. The entire drama resulted in minor traffic snarls and city cops maintained they were not informed of these VIP guests coming from Karnataka. Police got a wind of their arrival from the traffic snarls and reached the hotel. Within minutes, they cordoned the entire area and allowed only guests staying at the hotel.
A sub-inspector and two police constables were posted at the hotel to keep an eye on the ongoing developments. West Zone DCP AR Srinivas said that the police did not have any information about the arrival of the politicians. He said they have not sought any security, but as there are many politicians, police personnel have been deployed. “We have posted some personnel at the hotel as a preventive measure. Even I did not have information till their arrival at the hotel,” said Srinivas.
There were 35 bouncers guarding Novotel, where the JD(S) legislators were staying. The group, herded by HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil, was staying on third floor which was out of reach for other guests and visitors. Speaking to the media from the hotel, GT Devegowda said JD(S) was confident of stopping BJP. GT Devegowda defeated former chief minister Siddaramaiah at his own backyard Chamundeshwari in the elections.
“All 117 MLAs will go to Assembly tomorrow and prove our majority. We are 100 per cent confident. They(BJP) have offered money and they do it all the time. This time no one is taking it. All MLAs are with us,” Devegowda stated. By evening, both Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy reached Hyderabad and met the legislators at Taj Krishna. In the wake of SC ordered floor test on Saturday, they decided to head back to Bengaluru on Friday night itself.
Earlier during the campaign phase for Karnataka polls, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had put his weight behind JD(S) in order to promote a non-Congress non-BJP front. Following the result too he had reportedly stated that people’s mandate was against Congress and BJP. However, following Friday’s development, there is no word so far from the Telangana government. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh governments too , apart from Telangana government, had offered shelter to Karnataka Congress and JD(S) MLAs.