Cong MLA resigns in Karnataka; another also reportedly quits

The wobbly coalition government in Karnataka suffered a jolt Monday after Congress MLA Anand Singh announced his resignation from the assembly over certain demands.

Unconfirmed reports said another Congress MLA -- Ramesh Jarkiholi -- too has resigned but he not was available for comments even as the Assembly Secretariat said it had not received his letter in person, as was required under rules.

Singh said he decided to resign over his demands, including creation of a separate Vijayangar district and cancellation of the nod for sale of 3,667 acres of land to JSW Steel in mine-rich Ballari district.

However, he appeared to have not shut the doors fully, saying he would "wait for answers" (from the government to his demands) when asked if he would withdraw the resignation.

Singh, who represents Vijayanagar assembly constituency, also outrightly rejected suggestions that he was succumbing to Operation Lotus, a strategy adopted by the BJP in 2008 to shore up its numbers in the assembly by