Under the Indian Constitution, the Governor of a State is a symbolic repository of its executive powers and acts chiefly on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. At the same time, persons occupying such a position may properly provide counsel to the State government privately and without being intrusive. But Karnataka Governor Hansraj Bharadwaj has flagrantly shed the restraint required of his office by publicly demanding that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa take action against two of his Ministers, by speaking to the media about their alleged profiteering from illegal mining operations, and by assuming an activist role in this matter. Apart from placing himself in direct conflict with the elected government, Mr. Bharadwaj has, by his impropriety, lent credence to the allegation that he has acted as an “agent of the Congress” in meddling with the ugly political controversy raging in Karnataka. If it is too much for him to show the restraint, dignity, and even-handedness expected of the Governor's office, he must resign or be replaced forthwith.
To deplore Mr. Bharadwaj's gubernatorial overreach is not of course to turn a blind eye to the issue of illegal mining, which is on the political front-burner in Karnataka. It is no secret that the two Ministers the Governor was referring to were the powerful Bellary brothers — G. Janardhana Reddy and G. Karunakara Reddy — who own and operate mines in Karnataka as well as in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. With Mr. Yeddyurappa himself admitting in the State Assembly that as many as 30 million tonnes of iron ore have been exported illegally over the past seven years, there is a serious case for a fast-track investigation into this scandal. The ongoing Lok Ayukta probe against the Reddy brothers has been marred by stonewalling by government officials and agencies. Given the inter-State ramifications of illegal mining — most of the iron ore mines owned by the Reddy brothers are in Andhra Pradesh — only the Central Bureau of Investigation is equipped to conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged illegalities. The Chief Minister's unwillingness to hand over the case to the CBI has compounded the impression that he is reluctant to act firmly against the Reddy brothers. This hesitancy is, in large part, a reflection of the support they enjoy with the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership. The BJP leadership is badly mistaken if it believes the financial clout of the brothers outweighs the enormous political liability they represent. It did not require Governor Bharadwaj to step out of constitutional line for it to become clear that the Bellary brothers are best relieved of ministerial office.
