Raj Bhavan in Bangalore
New Delhi, Bangalore: The BJP has met the Prime Minister to ask that Karnataka Governor HR Bhardwaj be recalled for failing to act impartially in the Karnataka political crisis.
"He has failed to politically detach himself from his past," said the party's Arun Jaitley after a delegation led by LK Advani visited Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram.
"Raj Bhavan in Bangalore has been converted into an epicenter of horse-trading in order to destabilize the government," said Jaitley.
Bhardwaj's handling of the crisis has been questioned by constitutional experts, and , sources say, by the Congress in Delhi.
Earlier this week, he recommended that President's Rule be imposed in Karnataka after Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa survived a test of strength in the Assembly.
24 hours later, he u-turned and, in an unprecedented move, at a press conference ordered Yeddyurappa to face a second trust vote (that will take place tomorrow). Bhardwaj said the offer for a second trust vote was an act of charity and kindness - the language raised eyebrows, as did his comment that he was fed up of corruption in the Karnataka government.
"In utterances, in functioning, constitutional authorities are expected to act with dignity and restraint," said Jaitley.
The BJP has long complained that Bhardwaj, who was the Congress' Law Minister at the centre, acts as an extension of the Congress.
Jaitley said the party agreed to a second trust vote "to avoid constitutional confrontations rather than precipitate them." However, what actually prompted the acquiescence was the fact that the numbers in the Assembly are currently in its favour. There are 16 MLAs who were disqualified on Monday by the Speaker, after they withdrew support to the government. With them barred from participating in the vote of confidence, the BJP has 105 MLAs backing it - just enough to prove it is in a majority.
The disqualified MLAs had appealed to the Karnataka High Court against the Speaker's decision. But yesterday, the court said it will announce its verdict on the issue on Monday. That gave Yeddyurappa the edge, and within minutes of the court hearing, he announced that he was ready to face the trust vote tomorrow.
The 16 rebel MLAs are appealing to the court to make a decision before tomorrow's vote.
No doubt prompted by the fact that the government is in a position to win, the Congress and the JD(s) in Karnataka have also criticized the Governor's decision to offer Yeddyurappa a second chance.
Yeddyurappa's first trust vote - on Monday - was marred by chaos and violence. Early in the morning, the Speaker announced that 11 BJP MLAs and 5 independent MLAs who had been supporting the government but were now opting out had violated anti-defection laws. They would not be able to participate in the trust vote. Five of those MLAs forced their way into the House for the vote, however. security guards or marshals tried to stop them, but were unsuccessful. The Speaker said that Yeddyurappa's majority had been established in a voice vote.
