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Governor acting under Congress pressure: BJP

JAIPUR: The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan has accused Governor Shailendra Kumar Singh of acting in a “partisan manner” by holding back various Bills, including the much talked about legislation providing for special reservation to Gujjars, under pressure from the Congress.

Launching a fresh tirade against the Governor in the wake of reports that he had written to the President on the reservation Bill, the party accused Mr. Singh of functioning in an unconstitutional manner. The BJP has warned of a public agitation over the Bills.

“The Governor is flouting all norms and propriety. He is holding up half a dozen Bills much to the detriment of the interests of people of this State,” said Ghanshyam Tiwari, the newly-elected deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party, here on Tuesday.

Mr. Tiwari mentioned the Religious Freedom Bill -- now pending with the President -- apart from the reservation Bill and the Bills on the three universities in the State in this connection.

“The Governor did not exercise the options available to him in case any Bill was not acceptable to him. Instead, he chose to write to the President,” noted Mr. Tiwari.

Mr. Singh could have returned the Bills if he had found them not fit for clearance to the then Cabinet or could have referred them to the President. He did not opt for any of these, Mr. Tiwari pointed out.

“The reservation Bill was passed unanimously by the previous Assembly. There is merit in the legislation as it provides special status to Gujjars and also keeps the provision for reservation to economically backward classes among the forward castes,” said Mr. Tiwari, who was Law Minister in the previous Government.

The concept of quota for the poor among the forward castes had evolved during the tenure of many Prime Ministers, including P.V. Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and had public sentiments attached to it, he said.

Expressing similar sentiments, former Chief Minister and presently Opposition Leader Vasundhara Raje has written to Mr. Singh on the issue.

The Governor did not act on the Bills in a constitutional manner but resorted to questionable acts by writing letters to the President, the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Union Law Minister, she charged in her letter.

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