Bangalore: Cong, JD(S) Seek Dismissal of DVS Ministry, Delhi Rule
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Feb 9: Upping the ante against the D V Sadananda Gowda led BJP regime in Karnataka, which had to undergo the discomfiture of dropping three Cabinet Ministers in one go for watching porn clips on their mobile handsets inside the State Legislative Assembly and getting caught red-handed by Kannada TV channel news crews, the opposition Congress and JD(S) members in the State legislature met Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj and demanded immediate dismissal of the BJP Government in the State.
Members of the two opposition parties, who called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan, a day after the abrupt adjournment of the Assembly by the ruling party to avoid further embarrassment to the DVS regime, also demanded that the Governor recommend to the Centre for imposition of President’s Rule in the State by invoking Article 356.
Gloating under the embarrassment to the ruling party in having to sack three cabinet ministers on the sleaze scandal, the Opposition Congress members staged a dharna in front of Vidhana Soudha in the morning under the leadership of Opposition Congress leader in the Assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dr G Parameshwarappa in the full glare of the media and demanded disqualification of the three sacked ministers for conduct unbecoming of the members of the State Legislature.
However, the Chief Minister, who spoke to reporters, lashed out at the Congress members for staging the dharna and going to Raj Bhavan with the demand for imposition of President’s Rule in the State without any justification.
''What do these Congress leaders know? It is the BJP and our government which immediately acted in asking the three ministers to resign and forwarding their resignation letters to the Governor for immediate acceptance even as the ministers concerned claimed innocence,” he said adding: ''There is nothing to learn from Congress.”
Gowda, who spoke to reporters after releasing a soil fertility atlas of all districts, said the Congress, which has no other issues to attack the Government, was indulging in a cheap politics to dent the government’s image and achievements.
''The (Congress leaders) should have the decency and patience to wait for the report of the six-member panel constituted by the Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah to investigate the entire matter,” he said.
The Congress leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Sidaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara, H C Mahadevappa, Roshan Baig, staged a protest for a while in front of the Kengal Hanumnthappa statue demanding disqualification of the three former ministers Krishna Palemar, Laxman Savadi and C C Patil and registration of cases against them under sections 292 and 293 of the IPC.
The Chief Minister said the Assembly Speaker constituted a committee to probe into the watching of porn clips on mobile phones by the BJP members. The Congress leaders should have patience to wait till the panel submitted its report to the Speaker, he said.
''We have met the Governor and requested him to recommend the Central government to dissolve the Assembly and dismiss the state government under Article 356 for failing to govern as per Constitutional laws,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting the Governor.
Siddaramaiah, who was accompanied by JD(S) leader and former Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M C Nanaiah, alleged that the State Government had totally failed in all sectors including implementation of various public schemes and even in maintaining decorum of the House.
The latest incident in which three ministers were caught watching sleazy clippings on cellphone during Assembly proceedings is the most uncivilized and unparliamentary behaviour, he said and indicated the low moral standards of the BJP.
''We are ready to face fresh elections,” Siddaramaiah said and challenged the DVS regime to step down on its own,
Launching a tirade against Speaker K G Bopaiah, the Opposition leader accused the Speaker of acting in a partisan way to save the BJP government by disqualifying 16 MLAs ahead of the no-confidence motion in 2010 which had ensured survival of the Yeddyurappa government.
JD(S) leader M C Nanaiah contended that Bopaiah had disqualified 16 MLAs for extraneous reasons, especially to save the then BJP Government headed by B S Yeddyurappa, who had to quit over the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.
''The BJP government has forfeited the legal and moral authority to govern the state,” he said and demanded that the people were fed up and disgusted with the BJP Government.
Dr G Parameshwar warned that the Congress party would continue its struggle against the BJP Government and insist on the disqualification of the three ''sleaze watching” ex-ministers.