Dinesh Gundu Rao: 'BJP afraid to lose, thinking of doing another operation in Karnataka'

Ahead of the Karnataka by-polls in 15 assembly constituencies, senior congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday hit out at BJP anticipating that they might again try defecting MLAs as they did previously which led to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. Slamming BJP he said that people will not tolerate if BJP does it again. 

"The survey reports say that they (BJP) are not going to get the numbers. So they are thinking of doing another operation. But I am warning BJP that people will not tolerate this. If they try to do this again, then I think there will be a huge reaction and things will go out of control in the state. There will be very serious consequences," Rao said. 

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Rao speaks about rebel MLAs contesting again

Speaking on the previously defected MLAs who will be contesting in by-polls again, Rao said, "Today there is a totally negative approach against those people who have betrayed and defected. People know that they have indulged in immorality and are ethically wrong. People want to teach them a lesson." 

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Alleging that BJP is trying to destroy democracy, Rao said, "I hope people of Karnataka teach a lesson that BJP's unconstitutional activities come to a halt," he added. 

Responding to reports that Congress will join hands with JD(S) after December 9, he said that his party is contesting alone on all 15 seats. "After the results, we will see what we have to do. For now, we have to bring all the seats to our fold," he said.

The Congress and JD(S), who ran a coalition government for 14 months in Karnataka and contested Lok Sabha polls in an alliance, have parted ways after the collapse of the HD Kumaraswamy ministry in July following the defection by 17 rebel MLAs, who are contesting the by-polls again.

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(with ANI inputs)