Karnataka: Congress distances itself from Hansraj Bhardwaj’s actions

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from Karnataka governor Hansraj Bhardwaj’s actions in the wake of the withdrawal of support to the B S Yeddyurappa government by a section of BJP MLAs and independents, asserting that the party had nothing to do with him.

“As far as the governor is concerned, the party has nothing to do with him,” observed AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi when asked whether his party approved of Mr Bhardwaj’s actions. “It is between the home ministry and the governor, between the government and the governor,” he added.

The AICC general secretary did not elaborate his point further, but senior Congress leaders have been maintaining that the party has been deeply embarrassed by the Karnataka governor’s “proactive” role in the political drama unfolding in the southern state. They feel that his actions and utterances have allowed BJP, which has been rocked by internal convulsions, to shift the spotlight on Congress.

There was a growing feeling in Congress circles that should BJP be able to prove its majority on the floor of the House on Thursday, as was being widely predicted following the Karnataka high court’s refusal to allow the five disqualified Independents to participate in the assembly proceedings, Mr Bhardwaj’s continuation in the Raj Bhawan would become untenable.

BJP has already scaled up its attack on Mr Bhardwaj, demanding his recall for behaving as an “extra-constitutional authority”. The party’s top brass, in fact, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here this morning in an attempt to pile up pressure on the government to shift the Karnataka governor.

The assessment within Congress is that the governor acted in haste by first recommending the imposition of President’s rule and then doing a somersault.