Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh confirmed on Friday that he had received a letter from the Janata Dal-Secular, asking for the removal of rebel leader and Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and two ministers H C Mahadevappa and Satish Jharkhihole, from the ministry.

"The letter has come. We have to see," was all Singh was willing to say to a query as to when he would recommend their dismissal to the governor. He also evaded a reply to reports that Jharkhihole had already resigned.

The JD-S had been asking Siddaramaiah and the two ministers loyal to him to quit but the chief minister had, for the first time, officially confirmed that he had indeed received the letter from the Congress' ruling coalition partner.

Siddaramaiah, who was ousted as JD-S legislature party leader and replaced by senior JDS leader M P Prakash on Thursday, had been repeatedly refusing to step down, maintaining the JDSLP meet convened by the Deve Gowda camp was 'illegal'.

"I hope the chief minister will not take such a decision," Siddaramaiah said, after he deferred the JDSLP meet called by him due to lack of quorum on Thursday night.