Recall Bhardwaj

When you thought the political atmosphere in Karnataka couldn’t be further vitiated,and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s credibility was at rock-bottom,Governor H.R. Bhardwaj has managed to make everyone else look better. He seems to think his brief as governor is to create constitutional crises out of thin air,and devise ways to shake the state government. The Supreme Court recently restored the membership of the 11 rebel BJP MLAs,who had been disqualified by the assembly speaker,thus saving the Yeddyurappa government’s skin. The governor declares himself vindicated by the Supreme Court’s action,and has now recommended president’s rule for Karnataka,based on his gut sense that the council of ministers had lost legitimacy.

Bhardwaj has chosen to ignore the clear limits laid down in the Bommai judgment — “in all cases where the support of the ministry is claimed to have been withdrawn by some legislators,the proper course for testing the strength of the ministry is on the floor of the house… (and) not a matter of private opinion of any individual,be he the governor or the president.” Bhardwaj has knocked down this elementary tenet of federal fairplay,and,rather incredibly,by comparison made Yeddyurappa’s to be the correct democratic fight. President’s rule applies only when the government is in a minority,which is patently not the case in Karnataka right now. What’s more,Bhardwaj has even blocked the possibility of a legislative session to assess the government’s strength.

Certainly,there may have been breaches of propriety in the Karnataka legislature,and the question of corruption and mining cited by the governor are all pressing issues — but those have to be addressed by statutory procedure,by the patient processes of law,as the Supreme Court now has. Bhardwaj’s swagger and disregard for delicate constitutional arrangements are a separate problem altogether. He has consistently used his Raj Bhavan perch to undercut the government,just as he previously interpreted his official role as furthering of the Congress’s ends. There is no place in India for these sudden swipes and attempted midnight coups. By invoking president’s rule as a scorched-earth strategy to undermine Karnataka’s elected government,Bhardwaj has debased the office of governor. The Centre must recall him before he inflicts further damage.