’Centre unlikely to accept Karnataka Governor’s report’

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 16: The Congress–led UPA government at the Centre is unlikely to accept Governor HR Bhardwaj’s reported recommendation to impose President’s rule in Karnataka and put the state Assembly in suspended animation.

Highly placed sources said the move to dismiss Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa’s government would not be justified as the same appears to be in majority with most of the rebel BJP and Independent MLAs - whose suspension from the Assembly was revoked by the Supreme Court recently - extending support to it.

The Union Home Ministry is in the process of examining Governor’s ‘special report’ sent late on Sunday.


Bhardwaj has not made public the "special report" he sent to the Central government on the Karnataka developments following the Supreme Court restoring the membership of 16 rebel lawmakers on May 13.

Of the 16 legislators, 11 are from BJP and five are independents.

The Home Ministry is looking into the details on what ground the Governor recommended imposition of President’s rule and keep the Assembly under suspended animation.

Sources said the ministry will prepare a note and send the same to the Union Cabinet today for a final decision. The Cabinet is expected to meet soon to discuss the issue.

Yeddyurappa had yesterday shot off a letter to President Pratibha Patil asserting "there is no constitutional crisis in the state". He also said that he "enjoys majority in the Assembly" and hence Patil should not accept Bhardwaj’s recommendations.

The chief minister today said he would parade MLAs supporting him before the President to prove his government’s majority in the Assembly.

Following the apex court restoring the membership of the 16 rebels, Bhardwaj, an advocate and a former Central law minister, seems to have gone by the situation that existed after the 16 withdrew support to Yeddyurappa and before their disqualification.

But BJP’s contention is that Bhardwaj should go by the numbers the party has now and not on the basis of the situation that would have existed if the 16 rebels had not been disqualified.

The BJP says that with 10 of the 11 party rebels again extending support to Yeddyurappa, the party has 120 members, including the Speaker, in the 225-strong House that has one nominated member.

The party also has the support of one independent legislator.

The rebellion in October last year had reduced Yeddyurappa ministry to a minority in the 225-member Assembly and Bhardwaj had ordered the chief minister to seek trust vote.

The 16 rebels were disqualified ahead of the October 11 trust vote which helped Yeddyurappa win it amid chaos in the Assembly.

Bhardwaj ordered another trust vote which Yeddyurappa won on October 14 with 106 votes in favour and 100 against.

Of the 11 BJP rebels who won back their membership, 10 again expressed their support to Yeddyurappa yesterday while the 11th refused to do so.

The opposition National Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, today met in the capital and decided to seek the removal of HR Bhardwaj as Governor of Karnataka.