K'taka CM to stage dharna at Raj Bhavan

Image: Karnataka Assembly
Vicky Nanjappa

The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party, which finds itself in fresh trouble following the Governor H R Bharadwaj's report recommending President's rule in the state, has convened an emergency legislature party meeting on Monday to discuss the latest developments.

The meeting, which will be headed by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, will discuss the latest recommendation by the governor. Shortly after the meeting Yeddyurappa will stage a dharna before the Raj Bhavan.

In a statement, Yeddyurappa has said that he would parade his MLAs before both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil to show his majority.

Governor Bharadwaj had cited a constitutional break down in the state and recommended President's rule.

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Legal opinion over the issue is divided

The recommendation comes after the Supreme Court reversed the order of the Speaker of the Karnataka legislative assembly, which had disqualified 11 rebel BJP MLAs.

Even though all 11 rebel MLAs had expressed support to the Yeddyurappa government on Sunday, the Governor went ahead and recommended President's rule.

Legal opinion over the issue seems to be divided with some experts terming the governor's actions to be in accordance with the law.

They say that the Yeddyurappa government had been reduced to a minority following the Supreme Court verdict and if one looks at the manner in which the government has been functioning in the past couple of months, then it is an evident constitutional breakdown in Karnataka.

All eyes would be on New Delhi

The other argument, however, is that such a recommendation could not have been sent merely on the basis of a judicial order. The governor ought to have given the chief minister a chance to test the majority on the floor of the house and only then come to some conclusion.

The Karnataka BJP says that all eyes would be on New Delhi and their national leadership would be handling this issue.

Yeddyurappa has already shot off a letter to the President terming the governor's actions as arbitrary and opposed to the law.

The legislature party meeting, which will be held in a while, will be followed by a Cabinet meeting. The BJP had decided to induct some of the rebel MLAs into the Cabinet, but at the moment that process is likely to get delayed due to the fresh crisis.

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