Yeddy in trouble if Governor sanctions prosecution
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Jan 16: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who has proved himself to be a great survival artist after overcoming several serious threats to his power during the last 30 months, might land himself in deeper trouble if rumours regarding Governor H R Bhardwaj mulling moves to accord sanction for prosecution over the series of land scams, corruption charges, nepotism, favouritism and other irregularities are proved to be correct.

That Governor Bhardwaj and Chief Minister Yeddyurappa have been crossing swords with each other often is an open secret. In fact, Bhardwaj had gone to the extent of recommending dismissal of the Yeddyurappa regime and imposition of President’s Rule in the State when a section of anti-Yeddyurpapa MLAs, including ministers, and independents informed him in writing of their decision to withdraw support to the Chief Minister.

However, the Governor had been lying low since the fiasco over the direction asking Yeddyurappa to prove his majority on the floor of the house not once but twice within a week, which the wily Chief Minister cleverly managed by ordering ``disqualification” of the detractor-MLAs and thereby reducing the number of the opponents.

But when the Congress-led UPA regime at the Centre, which was cornered by the Commonwealth Games mess and telecom scam, tried to turn the heat against BJP by pointing fingers at the land scam, corruption, favouritism and land scam charges faced by Yeddyurappa, the BJP national high command was forced to ask the tainted Chief Minister to step down. Yeddyurappa, however, strongly resisted the party high command’s directives by adopting blackmail and pressure tactics and managed to hold on to his post.

The Chief Minister, incidentally, was forced to ask his sons and family members to ``surrender” the unlawfully and irregularly granted lands or house sites as part of the strategy to claim the moral high ground by mentioning the ``bold decision” of surrendering the largesse.

Even as the opposition Congress and JD(S) leaders, who had put Yeddyurappa in a tight spot by coming out with exposes combined with documentary evidence on the various land scams almost every day, two city-based advocates Siranjan Basha and K N Balraj submitted a formal written request to the Governor to accord his approval for initiating prosecution proceedings against the chief minister. The two advocates submitted huge files of documentary proof in support of their request.

Meanwhile, the Governor quietly started poring over the documents by making full use of his legal acumen and expertise in a bid to ascertain whether a prima facie case was made out. He also directed the government to submit original or authenticated documents in respect of all the allegations regarding denotification of lands, allotment of sites under the discretionary quota of the Chief Minister by the Bangalore Development Authority, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board etc.

In the event of the Governor coming to the conclusion that a prima facie case against the Chief Minister is made out, the request for grant of consent to prosecute Yeddyurappa might well be conceded. The Governor, who is a former Union Law Minister and a practicing advocate in the Supreme Court with several decades of experience, is likely to be very cautious before taking an affirmative decision as he would be required to justify his actions in writing, which might be challenged in the court.

The chief minister’s moves to refer all the land allotments, denotifications and deals since 1995, including those during the present BJP government, to a judicial inquiry headed by retired high court judge Padmaraj and the ongoing inquiry by Karnataka Lokyaukta into the complaints lodged by JD(S) MLC and state general secretary Y S V Datta, and the latest one-month stay granted by the state high court against proceedings by the Padmaraj judicial inquiry commission should further complicate matters. The entire fracas might come handy for the Governor in making up his mind about the demand for his consent for initiating prosecution against the chief minister.

If the Governor gives his consent for initiating prosecution against the Chief Minister, it would become very difficult for Yeddyurappa to remain in power. While the Congress and JD(S) can be expected to go hammer and tongs against Yeddyurappa and make life difficult for him, the BJP national leadership or even the RSS would find it difficult to defend him.

It may be mentioned here that Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, who is also a former chief minister, had recently met the Governor at Raj Bhavan and had prolonged discussion with him. The JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda as well as his son and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and senior Congress leaders in the State have been frequently meeting the Governor, with Congress opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah reportedly meeting Bhardwaj on Friday night. What transpired in these meetings is not known. 

Will Governor Bhardwaj grant his consent for prosecution of Yeddyurappa and thereby settle scores with the latter for the political humiliation suffered by him is the big question.