Bhardwaj agrees for assembly meet, BJP firm on recall

IANS

New Delhi/Bangalore, 23 May 2011: Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Monday agreed to convene the assembly session from June 2 after the central government rejected his recommendation to dismiss the B.S. Yeddyurappa ministry. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, remained firm on his recall.

 

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa demanded that Bhardwaj resign immediately in view of the rejection of his report.

 

"He should honourably quit," Yeddyurappa told reporters in New Delhi after meeting BJP president Nitin Gadkari and senior leaders L.K. Advani and Arun Jaitley.

 

The chief minister said Bhardwaj had given his nod for the assembly session.

 

He said the central government’s rejection of Bhardwaj’s report was "a victory of the people and for democracy".

 

In Bangalore, BJP celebrations continued Monday, following the central government’s decision late Sunday to dump Bhardwaj’s recommendation.

 

Several ministers, legislators and party workers gathered at the BJP office in Malleshwaram in north Bangalore, shared sweets and shouted slogans hailing the party’s "victory".

 

Bhardwaj had May 15 sought the state government’s dismissal, saying that the chief minister and Speaker K.G. Bopaiah had "colluded" to "destroy the character and composition of the assembly" ahead of a trust vote Oct 11 last year.

 

His recommendation followed the Supreme Court’s order of May 13 restoring the membership of 16 lawmakers -- 11 of the BJP and five independents.

 

They had withdrawn support to Yeddyurappa reducing his ministry to minority and were disqualified ahead of the trust vote which Yeddyurappa sought on Bhardwaj’s directiv.