BJP hits the streets in anti-Governor campaign

Yeddyurappa and Eshwarappa to tour the State for five days

The party, which has set a five-day deadline to recall the Governor, reiterated its demand that the Centre reject Bhardwaj’s report.

The dharna, at a major traffic hub in the City caused much hardship to motorists.

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa and Home Minister R Ashoka, however, kept off the protest, which was led by State unit president K S Eshwarappa.

Earlier, the State unit held its officer-bearers meeting, which was also attended by Yeddyurappa, decided to launch a State-wide campaign demanding the ouster of the Governor in 11 districts from Saturday.

Teams constituted

Two teams have been constituted, one led by Yeddyurappa and another by Eshwarappa, to take out the campaign.

The Chief Minister on Thursday had served an ultimatum to the Governor to give approval for summoning the Legislature session by evening.

He had threatened to launch a State-wide campaign against the Governor if he failed to give the permission.

A team led by Yeddyurappa will tour Raichur (May 21), Mangalore (May 22), Tumkur (May 23), Kolar (May 24) and Bagalkot (May 25), while Eshwarappa’s team will cover   Mysore (May 21), Chitradurga and Bellary (May 22), Koppal (May 23), Gulbarga (May 24) and Bidar (May 25).

‘Puppet’

“If no decision is taken on the Governor’s recall by May 25, we will intensify the stir. Opposition parties are using the Governor as a puppet. If the BJP Government is dismissed, the party workers will not allow Opposition party leaders to move about in the State,” Eshwarappa warned.

Speaking to reporters, Yeddyurappa said the Governor had been criticising the
government in public and private functions in the last three years instead of guiding it as a constitutional head, and added that he should voluntarily quit in the interest of the State.

BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar, who also took part in the dharna, alleged that the Governor has been obstructing the government from discharging its constitutional duty by not summoning the Legislature session.

A delegation of senior leaders of the State Congress led by KPCC President G Parameshwar, on the other end, left for Delhi to exert pressure on the party high command to impose the President’s Rule as recommended by the Governor.

‘Speaker will not quit’

Yeddyurappa reiterated that Legislative Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah will not quit over the Supreme Court judgement that set aside his disqualification order on 16 MLAs.

“The Speaker has done a good job. He will continue for another two years. He will be the Speaker for another term when BJP will come back to power after the next assembly elections,” Yeddyurappa said.