Division in the Opposition parties on the Karnataka governor H.R. Bhardwaj’s according sanction for prosecution against chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on the allegations of corruption, has come to the fore.
However, the DMK, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Telugu Desam Party and the Biju Janata Dal have not reacted to it so far. This is because they have concrete stand on how governors should play their constitutional role. The Congress-led government at the Centre had earlier tried to destabilise and dismiss the DMK government in Tamil Nadu and the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the CPI came out in support of the governor’s action but the CPI(M) skirted the issue. However, it asked Mr Yedyurappa to quit.
“Under the present circumstances, The governor has done the right thing by giving permission” to prosecute the chief minister, CPI national secretary Sudhakara Reddy said.
“Though there are political overtones, the way the BJP is reacting, there is no basis for it,” he said, adding, “it has been proved beyond doubt that the chief minister has done wrong. It amounts to corruption and misuse of power.” CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury demanded Mr Yedyurappa’s resignation saying the BJP government in Karnataka has set “a new record in cronyism and loot of public resources”. “The BJP is no different from the Congress when it comes to embracing the nexus of big business and indulging in cronyism,” Mr Yechury said.
The CPI(M) has generally been wary of actions of governors contending that those holding gubernatorial positions should not do anything that would adversely affect Centre-state relations and the federal structure.
The SP has already disapproved Mr Bhardwaj’s acti-on while the JD(U) too remained critical.
The division in the Opposition could help the government in the coming Budget Session of Parliament. The Left’s proximity to the Congress on this issue could irritate the Trinamul Congress chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee ahead of the West Bengal polls.
In a related development, the Congress on Saturday tried to distance itself from the issue, saying it is not concerned with the governor’s office.
“I do not see any point in attacking political parties for this. We are not concerned with the governor’s office... A governor is a constitutional authority. Under Constitution, he has constitutional discretions... Ultimately, it is for the governor to exercise his constitutional discretion.
“He (Bhardwaj) has said that he has applied his mind over the last one month. If anybody is aggrieved they are fully entitled to take legal recourse. If anybody has objection, full legal recourse is available. But it is not logical to bring any politics or political party into it,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.