BJP demands Karnataka governor's recall again

Buoyed by the high court verdict upholding the disqualification of 11 rebel Members of Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday stepped up its attack on Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, demanding his immediate recall for 'illegal and unconstitutional acts' if he does not step down on his own.

"The governor of Karnataka, if he has got any respect for the Constitution and standards in public life, should quit forthwith in the backdrop of the high court verdict," senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said.

Naidu said if Bhardwaj did not quit on his own, "the Centre, and the Congress, should immediately recall him if they have any respect for the Constitution and Centre-State relations."

Justice V G Sabhahit, third judge of the high court, had on Friday upheld the disqualification of 11 BJP rebel MLAs, after the matter was referred to him following a split verdict by a division bench on the Speaker's action.

Naidu decried the delay in taking action against the governor, which the BJP had demanded when a party delegation met the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier.

He said the prime minister had assured the delegation that he would look into the matter but no action had been taken, indicating support of the United Progressive Alliance government for "the illegal, unconstitutional and unethical acts of the governor".

"The reference made by the court in its judgment about the letter written by the governor to Speaker K G Bopaiah to maintain the configuration (the numerical strength of legislature groups) of the House has proved that Bhardwaj was wrong in making such a suggestion," he said.

The governor had come under attack from the BJP for his actions following withdrawal of support to the Yeddyurappa government by the 11 rebel and five independent MLAs.

Bhardwaj had asked Yeddyurappa to face the floor test for the second time on October 22 after holding the first confidence motion carried by voice vote as unconstitutional. Naidu questioned the timing of the 'selective' IT raids conducted on BJP MLAs and some ministers while the state reeled amid a political crisis and alleged that the Congress had "brazenly misused, institutions like CBI, anti-terrorism squad, governor and the IT department to further its political interests."

"It is a political tax raid. Why were similar searches not conducted on rebel MLAs who travelled to Goa, Chennai, Kochi and Mumbai and also on leaders who paid their bills," Naidu asked.