The Left parties and JD(S) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and assembly speaker K G Bopaiah contending that the supreme court decision quashing the disqualification of 16 MLAs was a "clear and severe" indictment of both.

The Left parties had no objection to BJP continuing in power in Karnataka but wanted Yeddyurappa and Bopaiah to quit forthwith.

"If the BJP wants to continue with the government, let them elect a new speaker, new CM. We have no objection to that. But these two gentlemen have no right to continue after SC judgement. A clear indictment is there," CPI general secretary A B Bardhan told reporters in New Delhi.

Earlier, the Left parties, JD(S) and Rashtriya Lok Dal issued a joint statement saying that Yeddyurappa has no right to continue in office following severe strictures passed against bim by the supreme court.

"The quashing by the supreme court of the Karnataka assembly speaker's decision to disqualify 16 MLAs prior to the confidence vote and dismissal of the application filed by B S Yeddyurappa seeking their disqualification was a clear and severe indictment of both.

"The SC has termed this decision (of dismissal of MLAs) unconstitutional. Chief minister Yeddyurappa hence has no right to continue in office in light of the severe strictures passed by the supreme court of India," CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said reading out from a statement.

"Both the speaker and the chief minister have neither the moral nor the legal right to continue in office. They must quit forthwith," he said.

The statement was issued after a meeting of leaders of the JD(S), Forward Bloc, CPI(M), CPI and RLD.

The meeting was attended by former prime minister H D Devegowda, former Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, Yechury, Bardhan, CPI MP D Raja, RLD chief Ajit Singh, Forward Bloc leader Debabrata Biswas and JD(S) leader Kunwar Danish Ali.

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Cong in Karnataka pushes for Prez's rule in state

The main opposition Congress in Karnataka on Thursday staged a protest rally in Bangalore demanding that the Centre act positively on governor H R Bhardwaj's recommendation to impose president's rule in the state.

Legislators and party members held a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue here raising slogans against the B S Yeddyurappa government and hailing the governor's move.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress committee president G Parameshwara and leader of opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappa has no constitutional right to continue in office.

"Yeddyurappa has continued in office unconstitutionally in the last seven months," Siddaramaiah said, and alleged that the chief minister "used" the office of the speaker and got 16 MLAs disqualified to win the vote of confidence in October last year.

Otherwise, the government would have lost the trust vote, he said.

Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah ridiculed Yeddyurappa threatening to personally plunge into the agitation against the governor recommending president's rule if he failed to give his approval by this evening for convening the assembly from June 2.

"What is he going to tell the people? Is it about government corruption, nepotism and favouritism?" they asked.