After its first attempt to convince the Supreme Court that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala’s decision to invite B.S. Yeddyurappa to form the government was anti-Constitutional, the Congress expressed confidence on Thursday that the apex court will take a stand once the BJP presents the letters it had submitted to the Governor.

“I salute the Supreme Court. If I were Yeddyurappa, I will not take oath until the hearing at 10.30 am on Friday,” said Congress leader P. Chidambaram. “Yeddyurappa's letter to the Governor will seal his fate. There is no mention of a number bigger than 104. The Governor's invitation does not mention any number at all!” he added.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, who appeared in the court for the Congress-JD(S) alliance, said the Supreme Court deserves immeasurable kudos for sitting for more than three-and-a-half hours from 2 am on Thursday morning. “Patient hearing par excellence. Though no stay, bench made swearing-in fully subject to further orders. In a sense Yeddyurappa’s oath is provisional. Supreme Court can change interim order tomorrow after seeing documents. Preponement of floor test also open,” he said on Twitter.

The Congress also said Yeddyurappa’s oath as Chief Minister is “farcical” and a mockery of the Constitution. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said India mourns the defeat of democracy. “The BJP’s irrational insistence that it will form a government in Karnataka, even though it clearly doesn’t have the numbers, is to make a mockery of our Constitution. This morning, while the BJP celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy,” he tweeted.

Later, talking to his party workers in Chhattisgarh, he said the judiciary is under fear, the press is under fear and even the BJP’s Members of Parliament are under the same fear as they cannot speak a single word before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Raj Bhawan has been converted into the BJP office. “A farcical oath of CM’s post. A fraud being played on majority. A treachery with Constitution. A deception with democracy. That is Governor Karnataka illegally swearing in Yeddyurappa -- turning the Raj Bhavan into BJP Office. This Black Spot on India’s democracy will be erased,” he said on Twitter.

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