From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Banglaore
Bangalore, May 18: With the controversy over the war of words between the `powerful’ trio of Bellary mining lords and ministers G Janardhana Reddy, G Karunkara Reddy and B Sriramulu and the Karnataka governor H R Bhardwaj on account of the notice served by the latter continuing unabated, senior Congress leader and former union minister B Janardhana Poojary on Tuesday butted in by claiming that the governor was ``well within his rights to dismiss the Bellary ministers.”
Addressing a news conference in Bangalore on Tuesday, the Congress leader assailed Karnataka’s tourism and infrastructure development minister Janardhana Reddy for belittling the Constitution and the Governor’s office by his disparaging remarks against Bhardwaj.
The Governor, who had sworn in the ministers by administered the oath of office and secrecy, was fully empowered to dismiss Janardhana Reddy and the other two Bellary ministers as they were prima facie guilty of violating the Constitutional norms by holding an office of profit as Directors in the Obulapuram Mining Company and for carrying out mining activities whether it is in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh while serving as ministers, Poojary said.
``Clearly there is a conflict of interest in the functioning of the ministers and their carrying out business in private companies. These ministers should have the decency to know their constitutional limitations instead of attacking the constitutional head of the state government,” he said.
Poojary contended that the Governor had issued notice to Janardhana Reddy on a complaint by a legislator alleging that the minister was “looting” the State`s mineral wealth in Bellary district by illegal means and the Lokayukta had submitted a report to the State Government had indicted him on the same issue.
As the chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s government is functioning at the pleasure of the President, with the governor acting as the President’s representative in the state, Poojary said the Governor was bound to discharge his constitutional duty to protect the interest of the State and its people.
The Governor had issued the notice to Reddy in the exercise of his constitutional powers and obligations, he said.
Poojary alleged that the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu had made ``undue remarks” on the Governor regarding his inability to get re-elected to the Rajya Sabha and pointed out that the latter also could not get elected from his home state of Andhra Pradesh and was seeking entry to parliament from Karnataka.
On Yeddyurappa`s statement that he would bring the Reddy brothers before the governor for a mediation, the Congress leader wondered what was there for the chief minister to mediate. ``Let Yeddyurappa worry about saving his government if the Reddy brothers choose turn against him,” he said pointing out that the chief minister was under the mercy of the Bellary mining lords.
Taking a dig at Reddy for claiming that the Supreme Court had given a clean chit to him, Poojary reminded the minister that the apex court had warned his company that it would take serious note, if it takes up mining operations in the disputed area.
KPCC senior vice president H Hanumanthappa said the result in the grama panchayat elections showed that the BJP had failed in consolidating on caste lines. The elections proved that democracy was intact, especially in rural areas, where lakhs of people had voted.