BJP slams Karnataka governor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said the Governor of Karnataka has lost all partiality and there is no constitutional crisis except for the one created by the gubernatorial office.

“The governor has completely lost his partiality,” senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We are of the considered opinion that there is neither a poliitical crisis, nor any constitutional crisis in the state. It is a crisis being deliberately generated by the gov of the state. I will give you five facts, which clearly demo that the governor of the state acted beyond the constitution. He has defied all norms of politics,” said the leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley said the governor has allowed the Raj Bhavan to be used for political purposes, for the purposes of destarabliing the state governmnet and indulge in horse-trading.

“They (disqualified MLAs) are virtually operating out of the Raj Bhavan,” said Jaitley.

The constritutional mandate says (which late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi introdcued) that a defector would be immediately disqualified.
“It is unprecendeted that a constitution authorty [governor] writing to the Speaker directing him not to exercise power under defection law.

“The governor almost threatened the Speaker and said that if he acted against him, his verdict will be not acceptable if he acts against the defectors,” said Jaitley.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who won vote of confidence in Assembly on Monday, has planned to move to New Delhi later on Tuesday to line up his ‘loyal MLAs’ before the President, even as a ruling by the state high court on disqualification of 16 rebel legislators is awaited.

Meanwhile, a Bangalore report said the High Court is expected to give verdict on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs, 11 from BJP and five independent.

The dramatic events kept unfolding since October six after 19 MLAs revolted against the Chief Minister. But three of them later returned.

On Monday, hours before the vote of confidence, Speaker K G Bopaiah disqualified the 16 rebel legislators,11 belonging the BJP and five ndependent, under anti-defection law, which was later challenged in the Karnataka High Court.

Union Home ministry sources said the Centre was contemplating imposition of President’s rule in the state.