Governor and govt are like husband, wife, says Bhardwaj

Breaking his week-long silence, governor HR Bhardwaj hinted that he will not leave Karnataka till the completion of his term. He also warned that if the government loses majority, he will not spare a minute to dissolve the legislative assembly immediately.

Speaking at a function in Tumkur, he said, “I am very impressed by the people of the state and the beautiful atmosphere. I will not go anywhere.”  He also declined to comment on the BJP’s ‘governor hatao’ campaign while addressing the media.

Rejecting chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s allegation that he is insisting on dissolving the assembly, Bhardwaj said that the state government enjoys a majority.

“How can I direct to dissolve the legislative assembly? As long as the BJP enjoys majority, I will not touch the government, but if it loses majority, I will dismiss it immediately,” he said.

“If the state administration has to run smoothly, there should be good relationship between the governor and chief minister. For the good of the state, I discussed several issues with the chief minister and had given suggestions also. But, I had not publicised any of them. Instead, the chief minister is revealing all of them publicly. It is not a healthy sign from a public perspective,” he said.

Bhardwaj also likened the relationship between the governor and a government to that of a husband and wife.

Reacting on the BJP’s move to initiate a defamation suit against him, Bhardwaj said, “In a democratic country, everyone is free to do anything. The BJP is open to file any kind of suit against me,” he said.

To a query on the Justice BK Somashekara commission report on church attacks, the governor said, “I have not received a copy of the report yet. I will react only after going through the report,” he said.