Governor H.R. Bhardwaj told Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa during a meeting at the Raj Bhavan on Friday that the continuance of some Ministers in the Cabinet tarnished the image of the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the State.
According to sources in the government, Mr. Bhardwaj did not mention the names of the Ministers but said it would be better if the Chief Minister asked them to resign. However, he is also stated to have pointed out that he had no authority to direct the Chief Minister to drop them.
Home Minister V.S. Acharya and Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar were with Mr. Yeddyurappa.
The Chief Minister briefed the Governor about the legislature session and the dharna staged by the Opposition demanding an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into illegal mining, the steps taken by the Government to address the issue, the request to the Union government to ban export of iron ore, and the appointment of an Upa Lokayukta.
The Governor referred to his meeting with President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during which he conveyed his views on the law and order situation in the State, progress in industrial development and various other matters.
Interestingly, the month-long budget session of the State legislature ended on an abrupt note on Friday, with even the Appropriation Bill being adopted amid the dharna by the Opposition and the Chief Minister cancelling all his public engagements and leaving for New Delhi to call on the senior BJP leaders, apart from the President and the Prime Minister. Several senior Ministers have accompanied the Chief Minister.
In another development, floor leaders of the Opposition parties, who were requested to join the Chief Minister in meeting the President and the Prime Minister, turned down the invitation. Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is stated to have spoken about the mining scam in the State.
