Either Bhandari or Gupta will have to go, says Vajpayee

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee believes either Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta or Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari would resign after voting in the Lok Sabha on the UP issue.

Whatever the outcome of the vote, the former prime minister told reporters in Lucknow, one of the two would have to go.

Vajpayee said it was the eleventh occasion in Parliament's history that the demand to recall a governor had been raised by members. Only once, he added, was a governor shifted as a result of such a demand.

He said it was difficult to predict the outcome of the BJP-sponsored motion, because this matter had been raised in Parliament at a time when there was multi-party rule at the Centre. He, however, felt the Congress needed to vote against the governor's conduct for the sake of its own future.

Vajpayee advised Bhandari to resign immediately as it was the only prudent thing left for the UP governor to do. He said it was highly irregular for the governor to send law and order data to the Lok Sabha Speaker. as Bhandari had done. A governor, he said, functions under the Union home minister and he should have sent the documents to Gupta.

A parliamentary committee, the former premier felt, should be set up in all states under President's rule. These committees should not only supervise the governor's conduct, but its decision should be binding on the government.