The Hindu : National : President’s Rule again in Karnataka

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Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007
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President’s Rule again in Karnataka

Special Correspondent

proclamation will be placed before Parliament on Wednesday for its approval: Dasmunsi

Assembly placed under suspended animation
45 days of political uncertainty ends

NEW DELHI: Karnataka has been placed once again under President’s Rule and is moving towards fresh elections after dissolution of the Assembly.

President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday signed a proclamation under Article 356 (1) of the Constitution imposing President’s Rule in the State following a decision taken by a special meeting of the Union Cabinet earlier in the day. The Cabinet considered Governor Rameshwar Thakur’s report to the Union Home Ministry on Monday and accepted his recommendation.

Later, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the Presidential proclamation would be placed before Parliament on Wednesday for its approval after which the process for dissolution of the Assembly would begin.

The Cabinet met at 8 a.m. at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh just before he left for Singapore to attend the East Asian and ASEAN summit.

Immediately, the Karnataka Assembly was placed under suspended animation. The Supreme Court in the Bommai case had laid down that an Assembly should be dissolved only after Parliament approved President’s Rule. The proclamation of President’s Rule comes a day after the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in South India collapsed after its coalition partner, the Janata Dal (Secular), decided to vote against the government’s confidence vote on the floor of the Assembly. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa resigned before the Assembly could vote on the trust motion.

This development has come as a climax after nearly 45 days of political uncertainty in Karnataka. The JD(S) refused to honour its “20:20 power sharing” agreement with the BJP, leading the BJP to withdraw support, and resignation by the Kumaraswamy government.

The two parties formed an alliance in January last year under which the JD(S) was to head the government for the first 20 months and the BJP the remaining 20 months of the term of the Assembly.

Consequently, the BJP was to take over the stewardship of the government on October 3. But the JD(S) declined to hand over power, leading to the two parties snapping their ties.

President’s Rule was imposed on October 9. But, soon the BJP and the JD (S) again agreed to come together and the BJP’s legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa was sworn in on November 12 as Chief Minister.

Trouble between the two partners surfaced when the JD(S) wanted the BJP to sign a 12-point agreement drafted by the JD(S).

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