In a unparalleled but controversial decision, Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj on Friday approved the prosecution of chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa for alleged involvement in illegal land deals, triggering protests by the ruling BJP.
The governor’s order on applications submitted by two advocates of the Karnataka high court (both belonging to the CM’s home turf of Shimoga) — Sirajin Basha and K.N. Balaraj — came at the height of a war of words between Mr Yeddyurappa and Mr Bhardwaj over the last couple of days. “The petition given by two advocates of Bangalore Shri Sirajin Basha and Shri K.N. Balaraj on 28.12.2010, requesting for sanction of His Excellency the Governor of Karnataka under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code 1973 for prosecuting the chief minister, Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa, in an appropriate court of law for various grave allegations of corruption and criminal misconduct, has been considered by His Excellency the Governor of Karnataka and he has granted the sanction to prosecute the chief minister, Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa, by an order passed by him this evening,” said a Raj Bhavan communiqué issued on Friday night.
Angered by the governor’s decision, BJP leaders announced protests across the state on Saturday and a voluntary bandh as a mark of protest. In Bengaluru, the leaders will stage a dharna in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi followed by a march to Raj Bhavan seeking the governor’s recall.
The BJP’s top leadership is also planning to call on President Pratibha Patil on January 24 to demand the governor’s immediate recall.
“The governor has acted in an arbitrary and partisan manner, giving a go-by to principles of natural justice. This is nothing but broad daylight murder of democracy and justice. I have full faith in the judicial system of this country and I will come out clean. What the Opposition parties could not achieve directly through the mandate of the people has been achieved by them through the office of the governor and Raj Bhavan. I leave it to people to decide what is right and wrong. The people of Karnataka will see through the evil designs of those who are upset with the progress and development achieved by me in the last two and half years,” Mr Yeddyurappa told reporters late on Friday night.
BJP state unit chief K.S. Eshwarappa said Raj Bhavan had become the “political office” of the JD(S) and the Congress.
While Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP general secretary in charge of Karnataka affairs, ruled out any change in the styate leadership, sources said senior party leaders in New Delhi were contemplating his replacement by another Lingayat leader — either rural development minister Jagadish Shettar or higher education minister and senior legislator V.S. Acharya.
Speculation is rife that Mr Bhardwaj might also recommend that the Karnataka Assembly be placed under suspended animation.
Karnataka Lok Ayukt Santosh Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, who had himself resigned last year over differences with the state government on the corruption issue, said a judge of an appropriate court has to look into the cases against the chief minister and then take a decision on whether to go ahead with the case.
Mr Yeddyurappa is the first chief minister in Karnataka’s history to face prosecution over allegations of corruption and land scams.
An unfazed governor stood his ground brushing aside all accusations hurled at him, including of being an “agent” of the Congress, and rejected a state Cabinet resolution advising him to “drop” the prosecution proceedings.
Hours before giving the prosecution sanction, Mr Bhardwaj had sent a hard-hitting letter to Mr Yeddyurappa, telling him bluntly that he cannot “put a lid” on serious allegations of corruption and dismissed as “unwarranted” the January 19 state Cabinet resolution.
“The sum and substance of the Cabinet decision is it simply requires me to put a lid on the serious allegations of corruption against you (chief minister),” Mr Bhardwaj said.
The governor’s characterisation of the Cabinet resolution as a “case of a thief admonishing a policeman” further infuriated Mr Yeddyurappa, who had sought an “unconditional apology” from Mr Bhardwaj, saying he had “insulted the people of the state”.