The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, on Saturday staged protests across Karnataka against Governor HR Bharadwaj as the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs meets in New Delhi to discuss his recommendations on imposing President?s Rule in the state.
Protests are being staged across 11 districts and will continue for the next five days.
Yeddyurappa is leading one leg of the agitation from Raichur, while state BJP chief KS Eshwarappa is heading another from Mysore.
Yeddyurappa will address public meetings at 12 noon on Sunday at Mangalore, 3 pm on Monday at Tumkur, 11 am on Tuesday at Kolar and 11 am on Wednesday at Bagalkot.
Eshwarappa will address public meetings at 11 am in Chitradurga and 4 pm in Bellary on Sunday, 11 am on Monday at Koppal, 11 am on Tuesday at Gulbarga and 11 am on Wednesday at Bidar.
There is no let-up in the battle between Yeddyurappa and Bhardwaj with the former now warning the Guv against unleashing a no-holds-barred movement if he did not allow the assembly session to start on June 2.
The Chief Minister Thursday threatened to travel in open jeep to the people against the governor and said “by this evening news [May 19] should reach me that approval has been given for the [assembly] session [from June 2].”
The BJP said a movement would start if no decision was made by evening.
Earlier on Wednesday, at a public function, political combatants of Karnataka – Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Governor H R Bhardwaj – were seen together in a show of bonhomie. In the evening the CM met the Governor but the latter did not commit anything on the convening of the assembly on June 2.
“We have not got any response from the governor on summoning of assembly on June 2,” said Yeddyurappa Wednesday, adding that the Governor told him that he was waiting for the decision of the central government on his earlier special report against the state government .
On Wednesday morning, showing a temporary burial of their hatchets, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj at a function said he is a friend of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.
The remark came a day after he issued a hard-hitting statement against the CM and slammed him for a “constitutional breakdown”.
Yeddyurappa also had paraded his MLAs before the President in New Delhi to show his strength on Tuesday and demanding removal of Bhardwaj after the governor advised President’s rule in the state.
Warming up to each other at the public function in the morning, Bhardwaj said he is not partial to anyone, he is a friend of Yeddyurappa. He also told reporters that he will stay as the Governor for five years.
Yeddyurappa on Tuesday evening paraded 122 MLAs before President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi, proving that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the magic numbers to remain in the hot seat in the southern state.
The BJP in Karnataka, beefed by the renewed backing of 16 legislators who had earlier rebelled, slammed the governor?s call for President?s rule in Karnataka as illegal, unconstitutional and “a murder of democracy.”
The Congress-led coalition at the Centre trod carefully and seemed non-committal over the government?s report and appeal to establish President?s rule.
The governor had recommended President?s rule citing a constitutional breakdown in the state and emboldened by a Supreme Court verdict overturning the suspensions of the 16 MLAs last year by the assembly speaker.
Bhardwaj alleged that B S Yeddyurappa and Speaker K G Bopaiah misused the constitutional provisions to win trust vote in October last year.
A total of 16 MLAs — five independents and 11 from the BJP who had rebelled against the CM — were suspended by Speaker K G Bopaiah on Oct 11 last year, hours before B S Yeddyurappa’s trust vote, allowing him to win by a wafer-thin margin.
But all the MLAs in a volte-face backed Yeddyurappa on Sunday last.
The Karnataka Assembly has 225 seats, including one nominated seat.