Minister unhappy with Guv for forwarding Palike bill to President

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said on Wednesday that the governor had raised 15 to 20 objections to the bill pertaining to restructuring the BBMP. 

The minister, interacting with reporters on Wednesday, expressed resentment over the governor’s action of forwarding the Karnataka municipal corporation amendment bill, which would allow formation of smaller municipal bodies in place of the BBMP, to the President. 

The governor has sent the bill to the President under Section 200 of the Constitution. 

“I was planning to meet the governor to discuss the bill. Before that, the governor has forwarded it to the President,” he said. While the government was expecting Governor Vajubhai Vala to take a call on the bill, he had forwarded it to the President. 

The minister said the government would take the help of legal experts to go through the objections raised by the governor. 

To a question on whether the government would complain against the governor to the Centre, Jayachandra did not react. However, he said, “We are calculating the number of bills which have been sent back to the government by the governor.”

Replying to another question, he said, on Thursday and Friday, the State legislature would debate the proposed changes to the Lokayukta Act. Let the legislators and the public debate the bill, Jayachandra said. 

It is said that the government was of the view that the objections raised by the governor were similar to those raised by the BJP against the bill. However, the government had also realised that it had exhausted all possibilities to put off the elections.

Jayachandra said that taluks which had been hit by drought would be announced in the August first week. As many as 84 taluks have a drought-like situation. The State government had already distributed compensation to people who have been affected by drought. The Centre has released Rs 84 crore, he added.