The relationship between Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai R. Vala and the incumbent government of Siddaramaiah has not really been pleasant thus far, although it is far better than the situation prevailing in several States, particularly in the national capital region of New Delhi. It is more of a cold war that prevails between the head of the State and the head of the government in Karnataka, if the manner in which the Raj Bhavan has been raising queries, particularly in matters of appointment to some constitutional posts and the knee-jerk reaction of the government to queries that have been raised.
It all started with the government recommending names for the appointment of the chairman and members of the Karnataka Public Service Commission over six months ago, and to this day, the matter is yet to be resolved. Interestingly, the government recently also recommended the suspension of some incumbent members of the KPSC and this has not been approved, although the Governor could have merely forwarded the file (with his recommendation) to the President, who has the authority.
The government too has been faulting, particularly in the appointment of vice-chancellors to universities, which has been pending for a long time. The guidelines have clearly been violated, with the government handpicking the candidates from the recommendations of the search committee, although it is the prerogative of the Governor on such appointments.
In a way, it is a love-hate relationship, although not the kind seen during the tenure of the previous Governor, H.R. Bhardwaj, who had even initiated action against the then Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa in July 2011, leave alone raising serious questions over the manner in which the government had sought to win a vote of confidence on the floor of the legislature. By all accounts, the present status in the relationship between the head of the State and the head of the government can be termed tenuous and lacking in cordiality.
In the 10 months that he has been the Governor, Mr. Vala has said a firm ‘no’ to the government of the day on several appointments, apart from returning some of the ordinances sought to be promulgated. The Chief Minister has called on the Governor on several occasions, while several Ministers, in particular, the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra have been in constant touch with the Raj Bhavan to clarify issues of importance.
Among the latest of instances that have escalated the friction is the government’s reply to a recent RTI query on the expenditure incurred by the government on the renovation of the Raj Bhavan. The Governor cannot be held accountable for the hefty expenditure of Rs. 3.5 crore of public money on the building, but definitely for the Rs. 1.25 crore incurred to undertake travel by chartered flights to various places, particularly his home State of Gujarat.
While the Law Minister has been quick to react that “it is not appropriate to comment on the expenditure incurred for the renovation of the Raj Bhavan or the Governor’s travel costs”, Mr. Yeddyurappa and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said the issue is being raised unnecessarily. Mr. Shettar said: “The relationship between the Governor and the Chief Minister is strained and it is all due to some decisions and policies of the government. It is improper to blame the Governor.”
(The writer is Resident Representative, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, Bengaluru)
