Refusing to set a time-frame to lift the President’s rule in Karnataka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday told the BJP delegates that the Centre will go “by the spirit of the Constitution” in taking a decision on the demand to invite BJP-JD(S) to form a government.

The delegation led by L K Advani and BJP chief Rajnath Singh, demanded that president rule be revoked and immediate steps be taken to ensure formation of a government in the State. The team comprised 11 MPs from Karnataka, but  there were no MPs from the JD(S).

BJP vice president Venkaiah Naidu told reporters after the 30-minute-long meeting at Mr Singh’s residence that the PM suggested the Governor should be given reasonable time. “But we told him that four days have passed since we handed over the letter staking formation of government headed by B S Yeddyurappa,” Mr Naidu said.
Noting that the BJP-JD(S) combine commanded the support of 129 MLAs in a house of 224, the BJP leaders drew the PM’s attention to a Supreme Court observation on dissolution of Bihar Assembly earlier that shifting stands of political parties cannot be the ground for the dissolution of the Assembly.

In a memorandum submitted to the PM, the BJP said the aim of placing an Assembly under suspended animation was to explore ways of forming a  government for the Assembly to complete its five year tenure.

Noting that the 129 MLAs have been paraded before the Governor, the memorandum said, “Once the absolute majority of the legislators is in favour of forming a popular government, it would be improper for the Governor or the President to presume otherwise. The current delay in revocation of the President’s rule is disturbing.”

Dissolution of the State Assembly, it said, would be clearly unconstitutional. “We briefed the PM about our apprehension of negating the mandate of the people in Karnataka and urged him to recommend immediate revocation of President’s rule in the state,” Naidu, accompanied by BJP leaders Yeddyurappa and Anant Kumar, said.