The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Congress threatens to petition President against Governor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress threatens to petition President against Governor

Special Correspondent

KPCC spokesman Ugrappa and party general secretary Prakash Rathod say T.N. Chaturvedi is biased and `functioning like an agent of the BJP'

BANGALORE: The Congress has threatened to petition the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam against Governor T.N. Chaturvedi on the ground that he cleared the nomination of three persons to the Legislative Council without considering their credentials.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman V.S. Ugrappa and the party general secretary Prakash Rathod told presspersons here on Tuesday that the Governor was "biased" and had "vested interests and is functioning like an agent of the BJP".

The Governor had no moral right to continue in office and if he still continued, then the senior leaders of the party would be compelled to approach the President.

They said the S.M. Krishna Government had recommended three names to the Governor (Mr. Chaturvedi) for nomination to the Council in 2004. But the Governor had "wantonly" held up the file and after a long time returned it to the Government stating that one of those recommended, Bandeppa Kashampur, now Agriculture Minister, should not be nominated owing to his background. Similarly, when N. Dharam Singh was the Chief Minister, the Governor had turned down the nominations to the syndicates of the University of Mysore and Bangalore University.

Mr. Ugrappa said of the three nominated by the Government, the background of Y.S.V. Datta "is well known". The Governor did not verify whether he had any criminal antecedents. Violating all norms and the procedure, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy carried the file to the Governor on Sunday and the latter signed it there and then.

"Is it not a case of the Governor violating all established and constitutional norms?" he asked.

He said the Governor had acted with "bias" even in January last when he entertained Mr. Kumaraswamy's letter pertaining to the withdrawal of support to the previous Government.

He should have directed that since the legislature was in session, Mr. Kumaraswamy should move a motion of no-confidence against the Government.

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