Congress takes potshots at BJP over cross voting in Karnataka

New Delhi, July 23 (ANI): Congress Party on Monday launched a sarcastic attack on the Karnataka Government after a few MLAs cross voted in the presidential election.
 
Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad on Monday said the MLAs in Karnataka have now realized that the BJP is a sinking ship.
 
"Operation Kamala, the word Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had coined for itself is reacting. The BJP has been caught in the trap of Operation Kamala. The people, who were busy poaching on others are now witnessing their members jumping from the boats," said Hariprasad.
 
"They know the BJP is a sinking ship in Karnataka. So, everybody is starting to jump from that ship," he added.
 
According to reports, the BJP had launched 'Operation Kamala' in Karnataka in 2010 to lure away Opposition legislators in the face of its dwindled strength in the Assembly after the Speaker disqualified 16 rebel legislators, including 11 from the party.
 
The BJP had, however, later denied it.
 
Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar earlier today promised appropriate action against those MLAs, who cross voted in the presidential election.
 
"We will take appropriate action. A committee will be formed and appropriate action will be taken," he told mediapersons in Bangalore.
 
The cross voting in the presidential election in Karnataka in favour of Pranab Mukherjee came as an embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national leadership, which is expected to send a team here to investigate .
 
UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee got 117 votes, while BJP-backed candidate P.A. Sangma got 103 votes in Karnataka.
 
Pranab Mukherjee was on Sunday elected the 13th President of India defeating P.A. Sangma by a huge margin.
 
Mukherjee secured a vote value of 7,13,763, garnering 69.3 per cent of the total 10,29,750 valid votes polled. Sangma, who was backed by BJP and some other opposition parties like AIADMK and BJD, trailed far behind with 3,15,987 vote value in the polling.  (ANI)