Karnataka Governor asks CM to prove majority again

Karnataka Governor says CM's trust vote a "farce"
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Posted on Oct 12, 2010 at 13:00 | Updated Oct 12, 2010 at 15:28

Share Bangalore: Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj on Tuesday said the trust vote win of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa was a "farce" and offered him another chance to prove his majority in the state Assembly on October 14.


However, an unhappy Bharatiya Janata Party has asked for Bhardwaj’s removal, accusing him of misusing the Raj Bhavan to destabilize the Karnataka government.


Asking Yeddyurappa to “uphold principles of Constitutional propriety,” the Governor sent a letter to the Chief Minister on Tuesday saying that he has not proved the majority. In his letter, Bhardwaj is said to have offered Yeddyurappa another chance "in interest of fairness".






“I wanted the CM to follow certain procedures, he never communicated,” Bhardwaj said. “I am deeply hurt by the way the CM spoke at a press conference yesterday,” he said.


Terming the BJP government in Karnataka as corrupt, Bhardwaj said it was “disappointing and frustrating to see what has been happening in the state for the last one and half year” during his term as a Governor.

He said the situation in the state was “very disturbing.”


But the BJP is not buying this sudden U-turn. The Governor launched a personal attack on the BJP on Tuesday, calling the BJP government in Karnataka corrupt and indisciplined.


Meanwhile, the Karnataka CM, who is in Delhi, said he was surprised to hear of the Governor’s offer.


"I am prepared to give you another opportunity to hold a fresh vote to support your contention by October 14 at 11:00 AM," Bhardwaj said during a press conference here.


Bhardwaj had sent a letter to Yeddyurappa asking him to "demonstratively and constitutionally" prove his majority on the floor of the House.


The Governor said he found that the trust vote taken on Monday was a "farce" as there was no clear mention of the number of votes cast in favour and against the motion of confidence moved by the Chief Minister.


"The Speaker simply said that the motion was carried by a voice vote," he said, adding there cannot be a voice vote in such a crucial matter.


Bhardwaj said that the presence of a large number of uniformed police and unauthorised personnel in the Assembly had vitiated the atmosphere in the House.


Asked about his report to the Centre recommending the imposition of President's Rule in the state, Bhardwaj merely said it is based on the proceedings in the House on Monday.


He also observed that this was not the first time that the Yeddyurappa government was in trouble and pointed that the Reddy brothers had "hijacked" 50 MLAs on an earlier occasion.


"The Chief Minister was in tears ... I had sympathy for him. I have fully cooperated with the Chief Minister on all matters," he said, rejecting Yeddyurappa's charge that he was not fair to his government.


Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused the Governor of creating the crisis in Karnataka.


“It is unprecedented that the Governor writes a letter to the Speaker directing him not to exercise his power under anti-defection law,” Jaitley said.


“The central government should recall the Governor immediately,” he said.


The Governor's missive came as the Karnataka High Court resumed hearing on the petition filed by 16 disqualified BJP MLAs challenging Speaker K G Bopaiah's action Monday.


Opposition parties criticised the Speaker's action saying there was no division of votes and claimed that there were more MLAs opposed to the government than those supporting it.


Criticising the role played by the Governor, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said Bhardwaj is trying to destabilise the Karnataka government instead of ensuring stability in the state.


He said: "We'll discuss about how the Congress is trying to destabilise the government in Karnataka using the help of the Governor. We will look into the role of the Governor, about how our MLAs were tempted and the ruckus in the House. All this looks like a pre-written script written in Delhi which has been executed in Karnataka by the Governor's office."


However, Union Law Minister Verappa Moily dismissed the charges, saying: "In our democracy anyone can can talk to anyone. But these are all allegations that are highly politically motivated and a desperate attempt by the BJP to cover their own lapses.