BJP petitions president to remove Karnataka governor

BJP top brass approached president Pratibha Patil on Monday and demanded removal of Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj.

The delegation was led by veteran leader LK Advani and included 23 party MPs from the state.

In a memorandum submitted to the president, the BJP leaders accused Bhardwaj of “acting as a Congress agent” to destabilise the BS Yeddyurappa-led BJP government through “unconstitutional conduct”. They also accused the Congress high command of being the “mastermind” of the entire episode and alleged that Bhardwaj was merely “carrying out” its plans.

Yeddyurappa decided against accompanying the delegation ostensibly on legal advice and flew back to Bengaluru on Sunday night.

“We appealed to the president to recall the Karnataka governor as he has been exhibiting an extra-constitutional and confrontationist attitude,” Advani said after meeting the president.

Describing Bhardwaj’s appointment as a step to “end democracy” in the country, the memorandum said the mindset and conduct of the governor was motivated by “extraneous and collateral purposes, less as a constitutional  functionary”.

It further said, “A governor cannot have malafide for political reasons and substitute himself as commission of enquiry or the lok ayukta.”