With the Karnataka government headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa being pushed to the brink, the governing Bharatiya Janata Party has stepped up its offensive against Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and the Union government to ensure that no harm is caused to the State government and that the report of the Governor is rejected outright.
It was an action-packed day here on Monday until 120 party legislators under the leadership of the Chief Minister left for New Delhi to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil. After an early morning meeting with party legislators and ministers, a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party was held, and it was attended, among others, by M. Venkaiah Naidu, and Dharmendra Pradan who is in charge of party affairs in the State.
A resolution adopted at the Legislature Party meeting demanding the recall of the Governor was again adopted at the Cabinet meeting that followed. The Legislature Party resolution described the Governor's purported recommendation to the Centre as “undemocratic, politically ill-motivated and against the spirit of the Constitution.”
Prior to his departure for New Delhi, the Chief Minister told The Hindu , “I am confident that the report of the Governor will not be considered since it is illegal and unethical. He has become a laughing stock and his exit from the State has become inevitable. My government enjoys an absolute majority and I am ready to prove my strength on the floor of the legislature. It is high time this Governor is recalled since he is biased. I am confident that the Prime Minister will not accept the recommendations of the Governor.”
The BJP has a strength of 121 in the Assembly. With six independents, the number goes up to 127. The combined Congress and the Janata Dal (S) Opposition has 97 members. While one independent is associated with the BJP, five others, who regained their membership of the Assembly following the Supreme Court verdict, are yet to officially convey their stand to the Governor or Speaker K.G. Bopaiah.
