'PM is not bigger than India; hope he learns some lessons'

Leaders from the Opposition celebrated after BS Yeddyurappa resigned on the floor of the assembly.

Buoyed by Saturday’s collapse of the 3-day-old Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi launched a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of authorising “buying off” MLAs and “disrespecting” institutions.

Gandhi also said while Modi talks of fighting corruption, “he is corruption”.

Shortly of B S Yeddyurappa announced his resignation as the chief minister in the Karnataka assembly, the Congress president told reporters that the prime minister was “not bigger than India, the Supreme Court and institutions”.

He hailed the unity shown by the Congress-Janata Dal-Secular combine and said the opposition parties will work together to defeat the BJP.

“People saw how BJP MLAs, the Speaker left the House before the national anthem was played. It shows they don’t respect institutions,” Gandhi said.

“Prime Minister Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah do not respect any institution... This is the idea we are fighting,” he said.

Gandhi also said that he hoped that the BJP and the RSS “learn lessons” from the political developments in the southern state.

Targeting Modi, Gandhi alleged, “The prime minister authorised, encouraged buying off MLAs. He talks of fighting corruption, but he is corruption.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also said that the BJP’s attempt to “subvert democracy” in Karnataka has “failed miserably.

“BJP’s attempts to subvert democracy have miserably failed in Karnataka. BJP’s lust for power through foul means stands completely exposed. Will BJP learn any lesson now? India’s judiciary has risen to the occasion and has safeguarded our democracy,” the Delhi chief minister wrote on Twitter.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav termed the collapse of the three-day-old B S Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka a “victory of the people’s mandate” and asked the central government to resign on moral grounds.

“Today, the people’s mandate has prevailed over money power,” Yadav wrote on Twitter in Hindi.

“Those who thought they could buy everyone have learnt the lesson that there are still people left who don’t consider politics a business,” he tweeted.

“The central government should also resign on moral grounds,” he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s “Operation Lotus” to poach legislators from other parties has failed and democracy has won in Karnataka, the Congress said soon after Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced his decision to resign without facing a trust vote on Saturday.

Lotus is the poll symbol of the BJP.

“‘Operation Lotus’ fails! #BSYeddyurappa remains 2 day CM as the country predicted, breaking his own record of being 7 days CM. Democracy Wins! Constitution Wins!(sic)” Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

Former Union minister P Chidambaram also said that the democracy in Karnataka was “saved for time being”.

“Poor Mr Yeddyurappa. When the puppeteers fail, the puppet falls and breaks,” he said on Twitter without naming the BJP’s central leadership.

‘Operation Lotus’ refers to the BJP’s move during Yeddyurappa’s previous tenure as the chief minister to make MLAs of other parties resign and contest the elections and win again as the candidate of the saffron party.

The fall of the three-day-old BJP government in Karnataka was a “victory of the regional front” and of democracy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The Trinamool Congress chief greeted Janata Dal-Secular leaders H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy and the Congress.

“Democracy wins. Congratulations Karnataka. Congratulations DeveGowda Ji, Kumaraswamy Ji, Congress and others. Victory of the ‘regional’ front (sic),” she said in a tweet.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said truth can never be defeated and it will always defeat "a lie or liar", after B S Yeddyurappa quit as the Karnataka chief minister without facing the floor test in the state assembly.

"Truth can never be defeated! Truth will always defeat a lie or liar! KarnatakaFloorTest," Tejashwi said in a tweet.