Congress in Karnataka pushes for President's rule in state

The main opposition Congress in Karnataka today staged a protest rally here demanding that the Centre act positively on Governor H R Bhardwaj's recommendation to impose President's rule in the state.

Legislators and party members held a dharna near the Mahatma Gandhi statue here raising slogans against the BS Yeddyurappa government and hailing the Governor's move.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappa has no constitutional right to continue in office.

"Yeddyurappa has continued in office unconstitutionally in the last seven months," Siddaramaiah said, and alleged that the Chief Minister "used" the office of the Speaker and got 16 MLAs disqualified to win the vote of confidence in October last year. Otherwise, the Government would have lost the trust vote, he said.

Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah ridiculed Yeddyurappa threatening to personally plunge into the agitation against the Governor recommending President's rule if he failed to give his approval by this evening for convening the Assembly from June 2.