Karnataka   

Differences between Governor and BJP expected to blow over

Bangalore: The reported differences between Governor Rameshwar Thakur and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Governor addressing the joint session of the Legislature is expected to blow over, with the BJP deciding to play it cool rather than rub the Governor the wrong way.

The sources in the Raj Bhavan told The Hindu that there was no question of the Governor addressing a joint session since the BJP had been directed to first prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly. “The Governor is not obliged to address a joint session,” they said. Meanwhile, the BJP has decided that it will not compel the Governor to address a joint session.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa reportedly told party leaders, “Let us first prove our majority. Why should we have a confrontation with the Governor? We have the numbers, and there is no need to shy away from showing our strength.”

The tiff between the Raj Bhavan and the BJP came to the fore following a statement made to the media by the president of the State unit of the BJP, D.V. Sadananda Gowda. He said that the refusal of the Governor to address a joint session was tantamount to going against the Constitution. The charge was that the Governor was obliged to address a joint session since the BJP had demonstrated its strength before the Governor at the Raj Bhavan.

A legal expert told The Hindu that the Supreme Court judgment in the S.R. Bommai case and other later judgments were clear. It had been categorically stated that the test of majority should only be demonstrated on the floor of the Assembly.

The former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, M.C. Nanaiah, who had termed the Governor’s address to a joint session under similar circumstances in 2006 as “unconstitutional”, said that the demand of the BJP and its leaders with reference to the Governor’s address is a reflection “on the intellectual bankruptcy and the lack of political experience on the part of the BJP leadership.”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Differences between Governor and BJP expected to blow over
Representation sought for Chikmagalur
Fostering Kodava culture, sports
‘8,750 tonnes of fertilizer for Davangere district soon’
Felicitation for Ministers
Lightning claims three lives
Karnataka Bank inks pact with Indiaideas.com
Probe sought into money seized during polls
Worm removed from eye
Karnataka Bank to open 30 new branches
Regular bus services required
Communalism originated from upper class, says Praful Bidwai
She broke taboos in the pursuit of dance

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu