JOIN USThe governor has decided to summon the chief minister to Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Sunday to ascertain whether Yeddyurappa has the required number in the Assembly.
“I will call the chief minister to Raj Bhavan on Sunday and I will show him the judgment copy of the Supreme Court and confront him. Now, he (the chief minister) has to prove that he has the numbers,” the governor, in Delhi on a private visit, told Deccan Herald.
Bhardwaj took the tough stand after discussing the latest developments in Karnataka with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes. He is learnt to have submitted a report on the political developments to the home minister. “Now, I will put his (the chief minister) face on the mirror,” Bhardwaj said when asked what he would discuss with the chief minister.
However, Bhardwaj did not say whether he will ask Yeddyurappa to prove his majority on the floor of the House. Bhardwaj said he will announce his decision in Bangalore on Sunday.
Monday start unlikely
Even if the governor asks Yeddyurappa to prove his majority, the legislature session is unlikely to begin on Monday. The State Cabinet on Friday requested the governor to convene the House. But the governor said he had not seen the government’s letter.
Sources said Bhardwaj may seek clarifications from the government before convening the House.
As the government has not explained the reasons for holding the session at such short notice, the governor may suggest the government to give sufficient time for the legislators to come down to Bangalore to attend the extended budget session. The government may be asked to indicate alternative dates for commencing the session, it is said.
As the governor will be summoning the House, he is constitutionally empowered to ask the chief minister to prove his majority, source said. A series of talks held by Yeddyurappa’s emissaries—ministers Renukacharya, Umesh Katti and Govind Karjol—and BJP central leaders Arun Jaitley and Dharmendra Pradhan with the 11 rebels in Delhi cut no ice with them till Saturday evening.
Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who rushed to Delhi on Saturday morning, held a marathon meeting with the rebel MLAs and tried to convince them to stay back in Delhi for two more days. However, the BJP rebels appeared to have toned down their rigid stand on the leadership change and made up their mind to negotiate with Yeddyurappa.
“We are negotiating with the emissaries. We have struggled a lot in the last seven months. Now, we want the development of our constituencies. Keeping this in mind we will take our stand,” Belur Gopalakrishna, one of the rebel MLAs, said.
Asked about speculation that the governor may summon the rebel MLAs to Raj Bhavan to seek the view their October 6, 2010, letter withdrawing support to the government, he said: “We will inform the governor about our stand. The governor cannot decide anything on our stand. We will decide.”
The ruling BJP apprehends that the government will be reduced to a minority if all the 16 MLAs decide to withdraw their support to the ministry. Now, the BJP has 111 MLAs, including the Speaker and one nominated member. The government requires the support of at least 113 members the 225-member Assembly for its survival.
Sources said Yeddyurappa contacted the rebels and had asked them to return to Bangalore and discuss all issues across the table. As the crisis deepened, the BJP central leaders intervened and held talks with the rebels. “Though the Jaitley promised to fulfill their demands, we have not made any assurances,” Balachandra Jarkiholi, one of the 11 BJP rebels, told reporters after the meeting.