Yeddy Not to Challenge Governor’s Return of Akrama-Sakrama Proposal
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Jan 14: Better sense seems to have prevailed on the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP regime in relunctantly but gracefully accepting Karnataka governor H R Bhardwaj’s rejection of the state government’s proposal for bringing an ordinance for regularisation of unauthorised constructions and housing layouts and violation of building bylaws under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.
The Yeddyurappa regime, which had been dilly-dallying with the proposal since it came to power, had finally decided to come out with the ordinance on the eve of the model code of conduct for elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) or Greater Bangalore civic body scheduled for February 21.
But the governor, a Congress nominee who had served as Union Law Minister under the first edition of Congress-led UPA regime, had refused to bow to the Yeddyurappa regime’s request to promulgate the ordinance and advised the government to get the proposal thoroughly discussed in both houses of the state legislature.
The ruling BJP, which was hoping to capitalise on the Akrama-Sakrama scheme to earn electoral dividends from a large section of the Bangaloreans, was stung by the Raj Bhavan’s refusal to accede to its request to bring out the ordinance.
An influential section of the ruling party, including several senior ministers, were understood to have seriously advocated that the state cabinet should submit the ordinance to Raj Bhavan for the second time for consideration in a bid to compel the governor to accept it. The chief minister is also believed to have been toying with the idea of making the return of the ordinance an electoral issue and seek to blame the opposition parties for coming in the way of helping the people. However, saner elements within the ruling party had suggested that the government should go in for confrontation as it might turn out to be counter-productive.
Karnataka’s transport minister R Ashok met the Governor late on Thursday night to prevail upon him to give his assent to the ordinance as the BBMP poll code of conduct comes into force from Friday. He blamed the Opposition for stalling the ``pro-people’’ policy of the government.
Ashok said he was pained at the governor’s decision. The future of the proposal would be decided after consultations with the chief minister
The minister, who is also the district in-charge for Bangalore Urban, said the government had decided to implement the scheme through the ordinance as it could not table a Bill on the scheme in the State Legislature during the winter session on account of disruptions in the proceedings of the house by the Opposition.
The state cabinet had taken a decision on implementation of the scheme, he said pointing out that the proposal was not prepared in a hurry.
But, the governor, who spoke to reporters at a function after participating in the inaugural session of a summit on corporate governance organised by the Institute of Directors, said he had returned the ordinance as the government cannot ``bypass’’ the legislature and judiciary.
He said he had asked the government to debate the proposed legislation in the legislature and come back to him after the BBMP elections.
"Do you expect me to bypass legislature and judiciary and do something which I don’t know at all. So, I told them to debate it and come back to me after the (BBMP) elections, "he said in an obvious reference to the legal complexities involved in the ordinance.
The governor pointed out that an effort to enact legislation on regularisation scheme had started in 2004 itself and that it had been returned by the then governor T N Chaturvedi.
"Then they (Government) took three years to rectify and then the legislation was passed. But it was challenged before the Karnataka High Court, which has stayed the legislation,’’ he explained.
The Opposition parties too have taken exception to the haste in which the government is trying to seek assent for the ordinance on the Akrama-Sakrama scheme just before the BBMP polls. Several Opposition leaders have alleged that the government is trying to take political mileage from the scheme ahead of the polls.