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Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007
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Thakur in Delhi

New Delhi and Bangalore Bureaus

BJP-JD(S) MLAs to meet Pratibha today

NEW DELHI/BANGALORE: Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur arrived here on Monday evening amid expectations that he has with him a recommendation that could end the month-long political stalemate in the State.

Mr. Thakur refused to answer journalists’ queries on any meeting with the Union Home Minister or the President. “Let me settle down,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) claim to have a comfortable majority in the Assembly, now in suspended animation.

Later in the night, 128 MLAs of both parties left Bangalore for New Delhi in two chartered flights. The former Chief Minister and JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy will join them on Tuesday morning.

The BJP-JD(S) joint legislature party leader B. S. Yeddyurappa told reporters that President Pratibha Patil had given them an appointment at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The BJP was trying to have it advanced it to noon.

All BJP MLAs had a meeting at Mr. Yeddyurappa’s residence before their departure.

In New Delhi, there is a view in political circles that the Governor is likely to recommend revocation of President’s Rule that would facilitate the formation of a BJP-led government.

Congress stand

Some in the Congress want an end to the Karnataka matter before the start of the winter session of Parliament on November 15. Otherwise, they feel, the issue will give the BJP a handle to disrupt proceedings.

The Governor’s recommendation is expected to be placed before the Union Cabinet, which normally meets midweek. It may then recommend the lifting of President’s Rule. The entire process could take a couple of days, it is learnt.

The first nine days of October saw the BJP withdraw support to the Kumaraswamy government, the Chief Minister’s resignation and imposition of President’s Rule. Later the JD(S) publicly announced its support to a BJP-led government.

"Inherently unstable"

Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said a BJP-JD(S) coalition would be “inherently unstable.” It was an “unnatural alliance,” which was a “complete perversion and subversion of the constitutional process.”

She pointed out that the JD(S) earlier refused to transfer Chief Ministership to the BJP; it publicly said it would not support the BJP or allow that party to spread communalism in the State; the JD (S) president H.D. Deve Gowda wrote to the Governor and the President seeking dissolution of the Assembly and fresh elections, and the “letter still stands.”

‘Fresh mandate needed’

Ms. Natarajan insisted that a fresh mandate was “the only moral, ethical and democratic way forward out of this ugly imbroglio.”

She said “full-page advertisements” in Karnataka newspapers explained why the JD(S) could not support the BJP. Later Mr. Kumaraswamy did a U-turn and announced that he would support the BJP.

After that, Mr. Gowda spelt out 12 conditions for support but the BJP rejected the idea. “It is only a day ago Mr. Kumaraswamy announced unconditional support to the BJP,” she said.

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