From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Apr 19: The Siddaramaiah regime’s decision to supersede the elected body of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a few days before the expiry of its term was a total violation of the constitution, said former Prime Minister and JD(S) Supremo H D Deve Gowda on Sunday.

Addressing a news conference in Bengaluru on Sunday, the JD(S) national president stoutly opposed the Congress government’s decision to trifurcate the BBMP.

“There is no justification whatsoever for superceding the elected local body when its term ends on April 22,’’ he said.

He said the JD(S) legislature party, which had earlier decided to boycott the short one-day session convened by the Congress government to discuss the proposed bill for trifurcating the BBMP, would be participating in the session and opposing the Siddaramaiah regime’s move tooth and nail.

“We are totally opposed to the proposal to trifurcate the BBMP and create three new civic corporations and would fight it on the floor of the legislature and outside,’’ he declared.

It may be recalled that the principal opposition party in both houses of the State Legislature, which was earlier ambivalent on whether to participate in the Session or boycott it, would also be taking part in the legislature session.

The State Government has superseded the BBMP and appointed IAS officers T M Vijay Bhaskar and G Kumar Naik as Administrators and the Commissioner of the BBMP respectively, on Saturday.

Gowda said the State Election Commission should conduct election based on the existing list of delimitation of wards.

A single bench of the Karnataka High Court too had directed the Government to complete election process before May 30.

Quoting the Supreme Court rulings on the issue, Gowda said the State Government can divide the BBMP only after 2020, if it really wanted to do it.

“I don’t know what the State Government will do by holding the session on Monday,’’ he said.

The Congress party feared its defeat in the ensuing BBMP elections and was making all attempts to postpone the elections in the guise of splitting the civic body.

Postponing of elections on the pretext of scams in the BBMP was not the sound argument, the JD(S) Supremo said.

“Let the government probe all scams after elections to the civic body," he said. A similar situation prevailed in 1995 and his party legislators put pressure on him to postpone elections, he said pointing out that the then Janata Dal government conducted the elections.

“In a democracy, victory and defeat are part and parcel of the system,’’ he said asking whether it was fair and proper to change the rules of the game at the last minute.