Karnataka Guv should call single largest party to form govt: Prabhu

Union Minister Suresh Prabhu today said the Karnataka governor should be invited the BJP to form the government as it is the single largest party.

"In 1996, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was called to be sworn as a Prime Minister when he was not having the majority but he was the leader of the single largest party. It is a precedent," he said.

In the just concluded Assembly elections in the southern state, BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats out of 222 for which polls were held. The Congress has won 78 seats and JD (S) 37 seats. Elections took place on 222 seats.

Due to the fractured verdict, jockeying for power has begun in the state, with contenders BJP and JD(S)-Congress combine intensifying efforts to outmanoeuvre each other in the race for forming the government.

The BJP is the single largest party and there have been precedents that the single largest party is called by the governor or the president, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu told reporters on sidelines of a conference on 'national intellectual property rights policy' here.

Earlier, he launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot – IP Nani– at the conference.

An anti-piracy video featuring Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan was also launched by the minister at the event.

Mascot IP Nani is a tech-savvy grandmother who helps the government and enforcement agencies in combating IP crimes with the help of her grandson 'Chhotu' aka Aditya, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

The IP mascot will spread awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) among people, especially children, in an interesting manner, it said.

This character, it said, is also in line with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) campaign for the World IP Day which celebrates the brilliance, ingenuity, curiosity and courage of the women who are driving change in the world and shaping common future.

Speaking at the event, Prabhu said that mere legal provisions are not sufficient for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights but their strict implementation is equally required.

Piracy is a serious crime which should not go unpunished, he added.

The minister also called for creating awareness against violation of Intellectual Property Rights and stressed on the need for participation of society in the effort.