NDA to meet PM, Prez on Karnataka

The battle of Karnataka is now a battle between not just the governor and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, but the with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as the stalwarts of the saffron party move to take their alliance front to the doorstep of President of India.

Karnataka governor H R Bharadwaj is increasingly batting in a sticky wicket now after his special report to the President to impose President’s Rule in the state was met with strong protest by the BJP which has won back the support of all the rebel MLAs and is in clear majority in the House apparently.

The NDA is planning to meet the President of India and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demand removal of the Governor.

“We have sought time from the PM. The governor of Karnataka is indulging in unconstitutional acts. We have asked all MLAs supporting the BJP in Karnataka to come to Delhi and present themselves before the President,” said BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

India’s top constitutional experts also slammed the governor for what they called “acting like an errand boy of the Congress” to dislodge a government enjoying full support of majority.

“Our government is safe and stable. What is going on is a tamasha, a madness,” said BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.

“I don’t know if he [Bhardwaj] is doing it all by himself or with support from Delhi. We can only prove our majority,” Naidu said.

“The anti Constitutional behaviour of the governor will be protested in Delhi also,” he said as the BJP demanded recall of the governor.

The governor wants to rule the state himself for sometime, alleged Naidu.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa earlier in the morning convened an urgent legislature party meeting of the BJP.

The BJP MLAs also marched through the streets of Bangalore and gathered before the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

Yeddyurappa had threatened a sit-out protest by BJP MLAs and legislators in front of the Raj Bhawan on Monday.

The governor was conspiring against the state government and as a former law minister he must know and play by the rules or else face a dharna, said Yeddyurappa, after Bhardwaj called for the President’s rule in Karnataka.

Bhardwaj blew away the treat, saying holding a sit-out in front of the his office would not be allowed, calling state police to act according to law and not bow down to the graft-accused chief minister?s whims.

The threat by Yeddyurappa came after the governor recommended President?s rule citing a constitutional breakdown in the state and submitting a report to the Congress-led Centre against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka.

Sixteen MLAs, who had rebelled against Yeddyurappa, on Sunday once again threw their weight behind the chief minister after the BJP pacified the legislators reportedly promising ministerial posts and other perks.

An irate BJP also came out blaring all guns and horns as party leader Arun Jaitley slammed Bhardwaj and the Congress for mulling over establishing President?s rule in state where there was ?clearly a majority government?.

?This is motivated. This is unconstitutional,? said Jaitley, indicating that the BJP will not take it lying down.

Bhardwaj had advised the President to put the house in suspended animation.

Bhardwaj alleged breakdown of constitutional machinery in Karnataka and accused Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Speaker K G Bopaiah of misusing the constitutional provisions to win trust vote in October last year.

Bhardwaj, who is on a collision path with Yeddyurappa, said the latter should not try to play smart with him by organising shutdowns against the head of state.

Earlier on Sunday, B S Yeddyurappa received a shot in the arm when the rebel BJP MLAs of Karnataka offered unconditional support to his government.

Ten of the eleven MLAs wrote a letter to Governor H R Bhardwaj pledging their support to the Chief Minister while the one remaining also issued a statement to that effect.

“We enjoy the support of 127 MLAs. The government will convene the budget session from May 16,” said Karnataka BJP’s V Dhananjaya Kumar, showing the support letter of the 10 MLAs.

The BJP will get the support of all 16 MLAs, including the five Independents, the party said.

The Karnataka Assembly has 224 members.

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, which he won by a wafer-thin margin.

On Saturday, after their suspensions were overturned by the apex court, the MLAs landed in New Delhi to discuss their strategy against the chief minister and engaged in feverish negotiations with the top BJP leadership.

This bout of troubles struck the BJP Karnataka government on Friday when the Supreme Court quashed the suspensions of certain MLAs who were laid off by the state Assembly speaker, allowing Yeddyurappa to scrape through a trust vote in October last.

The Supreme Court ruling came after the the Karnataka High Court on Feb 14 upheld the decision of the state Assembly Speaker to disqualify five Independent legislators under the anti-defection law.

The new verdict sent tremors in the B S Yeddyurappa cabinet since it triggered another trust vote scare for the BJP government, already battling land scam slur and other problems.

State Governor H R Bhardwaj, not satisfied with the process of voice vote method vote of confidence in the absence of 16 “rebel” legislators last year, had asked Yeddyurappa to seek trust vote within 72 hours and the BJP ruled coalition had won it again by 106 against 100 votes.

Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj who shares a publicly bitter relationship with Chief Minister Yeddyurappa had met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday and warned of immediate action against the government.

After the meeting, where Bhardwaj apparently discussed the future course of action against Yeddyurappa, he took potshots at the BJP leader, calling the Supreme Court judgement a ?stricture against the Chief Minister and the Speaker?.

Yeddyurappa had said he would take floor test if the governor asked for it.