Hyderabad: Within hours of their arrival in the safe environs of Hyderabad, the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular members of legislative assembly (MLAs) from Karnataka were busy packing for the return journey home, after the Supreme Court ordered Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP to face a trial of strength in the House on Saturday.
The MLAs, allegedly facing inducements and threats from the BJP to switch the sides, reached Hyderabad by road in three luxury coaches after an almost 8-hour long overnight journey and were accommodated at two five-star hotels in Banjara Hills.
Their arrival in Hyderabad coincided with the Supreme Court passing a landmark order that the Chief Minister Yediyurappa should face the floor test on Saturday, drastically cutting down the two weeks time given by the governor Vaju Bhai Vala.
With former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with a few other senior leaders also reaching Hyderabad by a chartered flight in the afternoon the preparations for the return journey picked up the pace.
Siddaramaiah was closeted with the Congress MP D.K. Shiva kumar, the mastermind behind the evacuation of the 114 legislators from Bengaluru last night. They were planning the strategy for the safe return of the MLAS.
Senior Janata Dal (S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda, who was looking after the MLAs of his party in the absence of H.D. Kumaraswamy, said, “we will leave either this evening or tomorrow early morning”.
However sources said that the legislators might leave by the same route by midnight to reach Bengaluru in time for the assembly session.
In view of the three-judge bench of Supreme Court ordering Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to face the trial of strength on Saturday, the session was convened at 11am.
After all the newly elected MLAs are administered oath of membership by the pro tem speaker the House was expected to take up the motion of confidence of Yediyurappa.
The leadership of both Congress and JDS — alleging the BJP was trying to induce their members to switch loyalties, while also threatening them — had decided last evening to move them out of Karnataka.
However their destination was kept under the wraps.
Initially it was said that they would take three chartered aircraft to Kochi in Kerala. However D.K. Shiva Kumar alleged that the Civil aviation authorities did not grant permission for the special flights.
Later plans were revised and the legislators initially left by two luxury coaches of Sharma Travels to Hyderabad. Midway another bus of the same transport service joined the convoy and some of the legislators shifted to third bus.
Necessary supplies include water was also provided to the entourage in the way.
The organisers in using Shiva Kumar were also aboard the buses and had alerted the local Congress and Janata Dal in Chikkaballapur and other places along the route to remain alert against any attempt to disrupt the journey.
There was tension on the buses until they crossed the Karnataka border one and a half hours after leaving Bengaluru and entered Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The convoy, after passing though the Kurnool and Mehbubnagar districts, finally reached Hyderabad in the morning.
After Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao made the offer to JD (S) leader Deve Gowda to host the legislators, and the latter accepted, the Telangana government made elaborate security arrangements around the two hotels.
No outsider including media persons were allowed to enter the places.
Telangana Congress president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy was also present at one of the hotels to extend help to the Karnataka leaders.
Meanwhile Deve Gowda on Friday offered prayers at the Sri Venkateshwara temple atop Tirumala Hills in Andhra Pradesh on the occasion of his 85th anniversary. Gowda accompanied by his wife and sons had flown by special aircraft to Tirupati last evening. After offering prayers he left for Bengaluru.
