The BJP State unit has appealed to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to direct the Karnataka Governor to reject the list of persons to be recommended to him by the government for nomination to the Legislative Council if it has the names of active politicians instead of eminent personalities.
In a letter to Mr. Singh, the copies of which were released to the press here on Tuesday, BJP State unit president Pralhad Joshi alleged that the Congress government in the State was set to nominate five of its active functionaries to the Council against the mandatory Constitutional requirement of nominating those from the fields of arts, science, literature or eminent persons who have contributed to the wellbeing of society.
The persons include those defeated in the elections and those who had been denied ticket to contest polls, Mr. Joshi said, and added that the government was denying an opportunity to eminent personalities to represent their fields.
Mr. Joshi’s letter to the Union Home Minister is being seen in political circles as an effort to prevent any effort by the Congress government to get the clearance for its recommendation before the Governor’s term expires.
Ex-MP’s appealThe former MP P. Kodandaramaiah has urged Governor H.R. Bhardwaj not to approve the names of active politicians, those holding positions in the ruling party or those defeated in the recent elections, for nomination to the Legislative Council as it will violate Article 171 of the Constitution.
In a letter to Mr. Bhardwaj, Mr. Kodandaramaiah has said that only those who had served in the fields of literature, science, cooperative movement or had done social service should be nominated to the Upper House. Any attempt to “rehabilitate” politicians would amount to abuse of the Constitutional provisions by the ruling party, he has said.
