Modi said like the president, governors are expected to be apolitical, discharging purely constitutional functions, irrespective of their earlier political background.
The demand for the recall of the Karnataka governor grew louder today with four BJP chief ministers, including Narendra Modi writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing HR Bhardwaj of "out and out destroying the federal structure of the Constitution."
Even as the stand-off between the governor and Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on convening of the Legislature session from June 2 intensified, the four BJP chief ministers wrote identical letters to the prime minister for pressurising the Centre on the issue.
The letters, including that of Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' of Uttarakhand and Prem Kumar Dhumal of Himachal Pradesh, came on a day when the Centre appears to have given short-shrift to Bhardwaj's controversial recommendation for imposition of president's rule in the state.
They wanted the prime minister to urgently recall the services of Bhardwaj in the "true spirit of our constitution and our federal framework."
In the strongly worded letter, Modi alleged that the Karnataka governor was bent upon "destroying and demolishing" the federal structure of the Constitution of India—a principle which is the "basic nature of our country's polity."
"The governor, who has been a very senior Congress leader, instead of performing his duties as the Constitutional head of the state....has been indulging in activities in gross violation of Constitutional provisions, democratic principles and, above all, the basic tenets of Federal Structure", the chief ministers alleged.
Quoting the Supreme Court judgment in the SR Bommai vs the Union of India case, the letters said the exercise of power under Article 356 (dismissal of the state government) should under no circumstance be for a political gain to the party in power in the Union government.
Claiming that the popularity of the Karnataka government has not been in doubt, they said the BJP, under the leadership of Yeddyurappa, has swept through most bye-elections, municipal elections and panchayat polls.
Quoting from another Supreme Court judgment, Modi said like the president, governors are expected to be apolitical, discharging purely constitutional functions, irrespective of their earlier political background.
"Governors cannot be politically active."
"The governor is not an employee of the Union government, nor the agent of the party in power nor required to act under
the dictates of political parties...," Modi said quoting from another judgment.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}