JOIN USCentre to 'informally' take up Bhardwaj's missive
Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily is expected to place his ministry’s view on the controversial issue in the Cabinet meeting Thursday morning.
In anticipation of the Cabinet decision, the Governor on Wednesday told Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to wait for one or two more days when the latter requested permission to hold the Assembly session on June 2, sources here told Deccan Herald.
“Though the dominant leadership in the Congress is totally against the imposition of President’s rule in Karnataka, a section maintains that some posturing is needed to save embarrassment to the governor who has twice recommended President’s rule in the state within in a year,” sources said.
Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel, senior Karnataka leader Oscar Fernandes and some other leaders met here again on Wednesday evening and discussed the issue and probable action the state BJP might take.
Sources said that they are likely to meet on Thursday for further deliberation. Meanwhile, the JD(S) leader and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is learnt to have requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take action as per the governor’s report and promised to get secular parties’ support to get it passed in the Rajya Sabha where the Congress is in minority.
Gowda’s plea
When the Prime Minister called up Gowda to wish him on his 78th birthday, the latter requested him not to reject Bhardwaj’s report in the interest of the state, sources close to Gowda said. The Prime Minister conceded to Gowda’s request to meet him and gave an appointment for Thursday evening to discuss the issue in detail at his 7 Race Course Road residence.
Gowda has convened a breakfast meeting with the Left front leaders at his residence here on Thursday morning which will be attended by CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, CPI leaders A B Bardhan and D Raja and TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu to muster support against the Yeddyurappa-led government.
Continuing its attack against BJP Government, Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarjan told reporters here that "It was an illegally manufactured majority, and an illegal government was running there. We find it utterly shocking that the chief minister and Speaker of Karnataka took no notice of the Supreme Court's strictures...We have nothing further to add”, she said.
Asked why Bhardwaj had changed his hostile stand towards the BJP government, Natarajan said, "I am not aware whether he was hostile in the first place or whether he is now conciliatory."