BJP calls for Karnataka shut-down Saturday

BJP calls for Karnataka shut-down Saturday

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, Jan 21 : The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party late Friday called for Karnataka "bandh" (shut-down) Saturday against Governor H.R. Bhardwaj permitting prosecution of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over land scandals.

"We will organise Karnataka bandh tomorrow (Saturday)," party spokesperson S. Prakash said, within hours of Bhardwaj announcing that he had sanctioned filing of criminal cases against Yeddyurappa.

The BJP had announced earlier that it would hold rallies across the state and would meet President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi Jan 24 demanding Bhardwaj’s recall, accusing him of being "biased" against Yeddyurappa and the BJP government in the state.

The bitter political war in Karnataka reached a crescendo tonight when Governor H R Bhardwaj sanctioned prosecution of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in alleged land scams. 

BJP hit back at the Governor calling the decision constitutionally improper and politically motivated.

The sanction of the Governor for prosecuting Yeddyurappa in an appropriate Court of Law for various "grave" allegations of corruption and criminal misconduct came on a day when the two attacked each other.

The Governor has been has been engaged in an open battle with the Chief Minister on charges of corruption against ministers, especially the Reddy brothers, in the BJP government in the state.

A Raj Bhavan communique said the sanction was accorded under Section 19(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. Both the provisions relate to Governor’s powers to grant sanction against public servant.

Karnataka Lok Ayukta Santosh Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge, who had himself resigned last year over differences with the state government on corruption issue, said a judge of an appropriate court has to look into the cases against the Chief Minister and then take a decision whether to go ahead with the case.