Deadlines ignored, governor Vajubhai Vala sends report on turmoil to Centre

BENGALURU: Governor Vajubhai Vala has sent a status report on the political turmoil in Karnataka to the central government, after the Congress-JD(S) ruling alliance disregarded his directions for completing the trust vote on Friday.
A special officer to the governor was present in the assembly throughout the day, witnessing the rows and recriminations. He later briefed the Raj Bhavan about the coalition government’s and speaker KR Ramesh Kumar’s decision to defer the trust vote till Monday, according to BJP leaders. The postponement was sought as many Congress-JD(S) MLAs are yet to comment on the confidence motion in the House. Vala had set two deadlines for the vote on Friday. Both were ignored.
“As per our information, he has sent a report on the Kumaraswamy government’s decision. However, it seems, as of now, no recommendation for action against the government has been made,” a senior BJP legislator said.
Governors routinely sends reports to the Centre and in special circumstances, say a political crisis, a special review is sent. It is addressed to the home minister, who, in turn, places it before the Union cabinet for a decision.
Meanwhile, state BJP president and opposition leader BS Yeddyurappa on Saturday raked up the deadline issue. “The Kumaraswamy government has defied the governor’s directives. It’s up to the governor to decide what he will do next. We will wait till Monday when the speaker has scheduled the trust vote and something which Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah has agreed to,” Yeddyurappa said.
“By dragging the trust vote on, the coalition appears to be waiting for a reprieve from the Supreme Court.”