Abuse of Governor's Office ?? No clear winner stokes horse trading in Karnataka

The cry over “murder of democracy” vis-a-vis abuse of Governor’s office has come full circle. 

There is so much of a debate about BJP abusing power in Karnataka vis-a-vis its earlier stance in Meghalaya and Manipur but there is a slight difference..YET BIG DIFFERENCE
....in Meghalaya and Manipur....congress was reduced to SINGLE LARGEST party after being in power. In Karnataka, BJP gained huge from 40 to 104. ruling Congress strength reduced from 122 to 78....so vote against Congress was clear. Gov office is always pro-delhi.....is it wise to presume Modi will hand over power to Rahul on a platter. 

Blogger: Bengaluru Cantonment/Vasant Nagar 

Sir, I remember days in Nagaland when Vamuzo was denied chance TO form government. In 1990 Jamir was dismissed by Governor M M Thomas when V P Singh was Prime Minister. 

The cry over “murder of democracy” vis-a-vis abuse of Governor’s office has come full circle.
Just as the ‘office of the Governor’ has come under focus yet again following high drama in Karnataka, many say the Governor Vajubhai Vala has only toed the convention of inviting the single largest party. But some also say the high profile controversy around his move is only a throwback to old episodes when Raj Bhavans had courted controversies under Congress.
It is wrong to presume that a Governor will have to act by consulting the central government or union Home Ministry. The constitution is clear, it requires Governor to apply his own mind. 

New Federal Front Player: JD(S)

In Karnataka case too, the Governor should have or must have reacted according to the situation created by the verdict - presumably. Allegedly helped by Governors, the BJP has grabbed powers during the past two years in states like in Manipur, Goa and Meghalaya by denying government to the single largest party (that being Congress) from an election. They changed the rules and conventions for them now?

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala, is a former BJP member, who vacated his seat in Rajkot, Gujarat in 2002, when Modi needed to win an election after the party made him state chief minister. The 80-year-old BJP veteran had won his Rajkot seat for a record seven times and served also as BJP president in Gujarat.

Well, Mr Vala has been a BJP leader and Minister in Gujarat and close to Prime Minister Modi, can we not draw our conclusion?

What went wrong??

"Politically, the stage is set for horse trading. But BJP is to be blamed for this," a Congress party source said.
An anti-defection law threatens disqualification of a member of the house if they resign voluntarily from the party or votes or abstains from voting against the party directive. However, a party could be merged into another if at least two-thirds of its legislators voted for the merger.

A jubilant BJP has termed the party's victory as historic. BJP leaders like Defensc Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the people of Karnataka have rejected the "toxic and negative politics of Congress."

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad termed it as "a victory of a Narendra Modi-led campaign. People of Karnataka, irrespective of caste and creed, reposed their faith in his programs and policies," Prasad, federal law and justice minister, told reporters.

Despite BJP leaders projecting themselves victorious, a post poll alliance of Congress and JDS, could still shatter the BJP's dreams of forming government in Karnataka.

However, media discussions project the BJP victory as indicative of trends that could sweep the national elections due in May next year. Congress had been working for victory in Karnataka to lift the sagging spirit of its workers in preparation for the national elections.

The Congress, the grand old party that ruled India for most its seven-decade history as a free nation, could be reduced to insignificance if it fails for form the government. The party runs governments in just two of India's 29 states, Punjab and Mizoram.

Some have credited BJP's victories to Modi's oratorical skills and his promises of corruption-free governance and socio-economic development. 

The cry over “murder of democracy” vis-a-vis abuse of Governor’s office has come full circle. 

It is only paradoxical turn of twists today that the Congress party is at the receiving end of the alleged ‘dictatorial’ culture of RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is during the height of such debates in 1980s that eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee once wrote: “Governor is not the employee of the Government of  India. He is not amenable to the directions of the centre and he is an independent constitutional office”.

By and large the debate has been that like most Governors, the incumbent at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru (Mr Vala) also toed the ‘political’ line of BJP – the party in power in the centre.  

A Bengaluru-based educationist Manjunath Vijay Kumar has his argument: “Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala has been a BJP leader, who vacated his seat in Rajkot in Gujarat in 2002 when Narendra Modi needed to win an election after the party made him state chief minister. So, we can draw our conclusion”.

In this context, a closer look at past instances would be important.  In 1973 Orissa High Court held the Governor’s role ‘wrong’ when towering non-Congress leader Biju Patnaik of Pragati Party was declined opportunity to form government after Congress ministry headed by Nandini Satpathi had resigned.

In more recent years, regionalist stalwart in northeast Vamuzo was declined opportunities to form government in Nagaland in 1987 when Hokishe Ministry of Congress party was reduced to minority.

In 1992 again Vamuzo was dismissed by the Rao regime and President’s Rule was imposed after he had recommended dissolution of state assembly. “I am not surprised, after all, the Congress has always considered itself as imperial power and treated the northeastern tribal people as residents of  Congress colonies,” the late Vamuzo had said. There were other instances too.  

Way back in 1959 the CPI-M regime was dismissed arbitrarily by the Nehru government. 

Wanted modern politico-socio reformer in Namo? What is Delhi without 'DalXXs' ?

Essentially one bad thing had happened in 2015. The defeat of Narendra Modi and victory of caste game and players like Lalu Prasad in Bihar.

The development actually weakened the 'man with a difference' in Narendra Modi - who had piloted his party (with a difference) to a massive victory in 2014. Most of India voted for him forgetting they were Lingayats or Yadavs. The decisive mandate unnerved the hitherto established players - the casteists, communists and Congress got a shock of their lives. But sadly, they decided to chose the wrong path and ultimately pushed the country back to the politics they are very good at - casteism, anti-India rhetoric and playing up the fear factor amongst Muslims and Christians.

Hence, Mr Modi and his lieutenant Amit Shah also got into business - reworking the caste modules and started making every election a prestige issue.

Media also played its part. The SICKULARISM was its best.

Even a loss in  by-polls were highlighted with banner headline suggesting it will be erroneous to believe that Modi can come back in 2019. Time and again this happened. Electoral victories for Modi in states like Tripura - a Left fortress for generations - was dismissed as aberration and by-poll defeat in Uttar Pradesh was highlighted as vote against Prime Minister.

Battle for 2019 comes alive as heat is on for voting for Karnataka Legislature

Already seen as a litmus test for the BJP and Congress and also as an indicator of the popularity of the Narendra Modi government, Karnataka Assembly polls is all set to pass verdict on Prime Minister’s ‘mass appeal’ and Congress adopting a mixed political strategy of giving space to the state leader Siddaramaiah but keeping Rahul Gandhi in limelight. Admittedly the BJP had unleashed its election strategy on defensive mode and had to depend on the popular Lingayat face B S Yeddyurappa – notwithstanding the old corruption charges against him. But as the electioneering entered the crucial stage, PM Modi's mass appeal seemed to make all the difference in electoral politics.

For his part, in this year’s Karnataka polls, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has tried to present himself as a ‘challenger’ to Prime Minister and said “now (he has) learnt to deal with the Prime Minister”.

At a symposium on May 8, when a member of the audience asked him if he could be next prime minister, Mr Gandhi responded: "Well, that depends on how well Congress does. I mean, if Congress is the biggest party, then yeah."
Prime Minister Modi – albeit deliberately – entered the election stage late and his party did well to package and present his ‘winning’ image of a 'decisive and performing leader' – committed to upholding traditional Kannadiga culture and who also struggles hard to fight corruption and for India’s development.
In number of places, Mr Modi sought to attack Congress leaders including Pt Jawaharlal Nehru of showing disrespect to Karnataka’s ‘sons of the soil’ and two top military officers Gen K S Thimayya and Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa.

He also said while Congress celebrated Tipu Jayanti, but due respect were not paid to Lord Basaveshwara.
Echoing this line of attack, BJP chief Amit Shah said: "The people of Karnataka understands this well. There has been a politics of appeasement (of Muslims) by the Congress. The Congress tried its old vote bank consolidation yet again and today the party stands exposed before the people”. In fact, from BJP’s point of view – Amit Shah’s election management skills came into focus - probably first time after UP - as he himself took charge of even minute things and had camped himself here by renting a house at city’s Fairlady Layout locality.

The heat is on for the May 12 election in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, where the pro-Hindu party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and rival Congress have pursued an aggressive quest for power in the run-up to the 2019 general election. A feverish campaign ended on May 10 with star campaigner Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressing a series of rallies and meetings, attacking each other's policies at national level and almost forgetting state issues.

Congress, which runs the state, believes victory in Karnataka would boost party workers of India's grand old political outfit, which has lost polls in various states and nationally since 2014. For Modi's BJP, which came to power in New Delhi in 2014, it is a popularity test of its policies and, more importantly, its ideology of building a nation based on Hindu principles. Modi's critics have accused him of making false promises of industrial growth, jobs and incentives for farmers.

Surveillance teams appointed by the Election Commission on May 8 seized cash, alcohol, jewellery and items such as pressure cookers, clothing and laptops suspected to be used as sweeteners for votes across Karnataka.

Congress repeatedly accused Modi of lying and twisting historical facts during the election campaign to put Congress leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru in a poor light. Modi often accuses Congress leaders of apathy and ignoring India's progress. "Modi has been distorting facts and presenting issues out of context, giving wrong data, misrepresenting historical truths. The kind of things he has been saying in the election campaign has embarrassed India," Congress leader Anand Sharma said. 

But BJP leaders are cocksure of victory in the state after Modi's campaign tour in which he addressed more than 15 major rallies in front of massive crowds. "People strongly want a BJP government in Karnataka," said Prakash Javadekar, human resource development minister.  

He said he would not be surprised if Congress takes only 44 of the 224 seats in Karnataka.

"Congress have lost state after state. They are afraid. They will lose this state also," Javadekar said, noting that the party now only rules Karnataka, Mizoram and Punjab of the 29 Indian states.

Since its 2014 national election defeat, Congress has lost power in states like Maharashtra, Assam, Uttarakhand and Haryana. Congress also lost in states like Meghalaya, Nagaland and Goa, where their sizable Christian populations traditionally supported them. However, Congress too is bullish about retaining power in Karnataka. "The BJP will lose out in Karnataka. The countdown for 2019 will begin," said Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal.

Congress leader Mr Venugopal also claimed that the effective and successful road map prepared by the Congress for Karnataka polls ensured that leaders at all levels were involved.  “The candidate selection process itself is a new method we adopted in Karnataka. I used to have regular weekly one-on-one meeting with Rahulji in addition to daily interaction over phone. This time for selection of candidates we involved maximum number of people. This was something new in the Congress”, said Mr Venugopal.

K C Venugopal: Rahul aide

A senior Congressman in his own right, Mr Venugopal also said, “Earlier selection of candidates in the Congress party used to be done in a more secretive manner and decision making process was mainly confined to three-four people including the Chief Minister and AICC general secretary. But this time people from districts and all AICC secretaries were all involved in the entire process”.

In the ultimate, answers to many of these questions raised by political stalwarts and at times even by analysts vis-a-vis the outcome of Karnataka polls remains only in the womb of time.

Nevertheless, there is a paradox about Karnataka polls and the outcome of battle for Lok Sabha. In 2008, BJP won Karnataka but suffered reverses in 2009 parliamentary elections virtually decimating L K Advani from the political landscape and in just role reversal in 2013 while Congress mustered a convincing majority in Karnataka, the grand old party lost the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 and its tally came down to all time low of 44.

ends