NEW DELHI: It’s President Rule in Karnataka. The Union Cabinet on Tuesday evening approved Governor Rameshwar Thakur’s recommendation in this regard. The centre, however, maintained constitutional propriety and honoured the Supreme Court judgment on the subject in letter and spirit by placing the House in suspended animation till both Houses of Parliament ratify President’s Rule. The state assembly will then be dissolved and fresh election will be called.
The dissolution of the state assembly could take two month’s time. It means that the state assembly would be under suspended animation till December and that should bring some cheer for Karnataka MLAs as they would be entitled for the pay and the perks during this period and their pension would accordingly be counted.
While political groups can make fresh alignment to form an alternate government during the period of suspended animation, it is highly unlikely that this may happen in the present case.
The BJP central leadership lost no time to demand an early session of Parliament to ratify President’s rule and demanded fresh elections. The Congress has already made it clear that it wants dissolution of the state assembly and going to the people for a fresh mandate.
The move would give a breather to the Election Commission, which needs some time to prepare for the elections. The EC took note of the developments on Tuesday evening.
An informal decision to impose President’s rule in Karnataka was taken at the meeting of the Congress’s core committee that met on Monday night. As per the constitutional requirements, the Union Cabinet has to approve Governor’s recommendation for imposition of President’s rule, before a Presidential proclamation is issued. DNA had, on last Wednesday, first reported that the state assembly would be put under suspended animation and President’s rule would be imposed.
Things moved at a fast pace after the governor told former Karnataka chief minister Kumarswamy on Monday morning that he must resign as his government was reduced to a minority after the BJP’s withdrawal of support and the Congress’s categorical assertion that it would not support continuance of the JD(S) government and favoured dissolution of the House.
It brought a change of heart for Kumarswamy who then showed willingness to make friends with the BJP again and support BJP leader Yediyurappa to form an alternate government.
