'The governor, since he came (assumed charge) has been giving a running commentary about the state government,' senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.
Stepping up its attack on Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj for rejecting a nomination proposed to the Legislative Council, the BJP today asked him to steer clear of controversies and desist from making political comments.
"The governor, since he came (assumed charge) has been giving a running commentary about the state government," senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.
The governor is a "friend" and should guide the government and not criticise it in public, he said.
Ever since becoming the governor last year, the former Union law minister has expressed his displeasure on issues, including flood relief, law and order, alleged irregularities in mining and attacks on churches, raising the hackles of the party which is running its first government in the south.
Earlier this week, Bhardwaj rejected the nomination of former minister V Somanna to the Legislative Council, saying he is a "political defector and political defection is a nuisance to Parliamentary democracy".
Somanna had quit the Assembly seat and joined BJP before the Lok Sabha elections but later lost an Assembly by-election.
Naidu said Somanna was not a defector as he has joined BJP by resigning posts. Where is it "written" that a man who came from another party is not qualified to become legislative council member, he asked. "Whom to nominate is the discretion of the state government," he said.
"The governor's office should not get into controversies. The governor's office should not be allowed to be used for political purposes," Naidu said.
He alleged that opposition Congress wants to use the governor's office to fight the BJP government.
Asked if BJP would complain against Bhardwaj to president Pratibha Patil, Naidu said "Let us see."
He said the BJP's central unit was seized of the matter.
In a sign of BJP's uneasy relations with Bhardwaj, the new state unit president K S Eshwarappa had accused him of "misusing his office" in rejecting the nomination of a former minister to the legislative council.
"He (Bhardwaj) may think that as a disciplined soldier of Congress, he has to repay the party, but he must remember
that it is not Congress but people of Karnataka whom he has to
repay," state BJP chief K S Eshwarappa said.
On the other hand, Naidu termed as a "futile exercise" the proposed foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan saying Parliament should have been taken into confidence before the government decided on the move.
"BJP is very clear. Unless Pakistan does something concrete on the terrorist front, just simply having talks is not going to solve problems, it's not going to help."
Naidu also criticised Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for not speaking up on high inflation.
"She (Sonia) is the president of the ruling party. Whatever happens good for the government, she takes credit or people give credit to her. Now for this (food inflation), who is to take credit," Naidu asked.
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, he said the youth leader is going around the country but does not speak on price rise "as if it's not an issue".
He said the BJP would organise "Raj Bhavan Chalo" in states this month and "Parliament Chalo" next month in protest against the government's "failure" to contain prices.
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