By IANS
Bangalore : Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur Tuesday ignored the urging of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) combine to be invited immediately to form the government, and said he would send his report to the central government on the situation in a day or two.
The governor was also apparently upset with BJP-JD-S’ plan to start an agitation from Wednesday if he did not invite the combine to form the ministry by Tuesday evening, and summoned state BJP leaders to the Raj Bhavan (his official residence) for a talk.
The BJP’s B.S. Yeddyurappa, who was elected leader of the combine Monday, and state BJP chief D.V. Sadananda Gowda met Thakur on his summons and explained to him the reasons for their plans.
On Monday, the BJP and JD-S presented 129 legislators before Thakur in support of their claim to form a coalition ministry under the leadership of Yeddyurappa. They also handed him individual support letters and affidavits from the legislators.
Karnataka is now under president’s rule and the assembly has been kept under suspended animation following the resignation of the JD-S-BJP coalition government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy on Oct 8.
The JD-S-led combine fell as Kumaraswamy refused to make way for Yeddyurappa to succeed him as agreed by the two parties 20 months back.
However, last Saturday Kumaraswamy and his father and JD-S president H.D. Deve Gowda did a u-turn and offered unconditional support to a Yeddyurappa-led government.
The same day Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy, Sadananda Gowda and JD-S state president Merajuddin Patel met Thakur and staked claim to form a government under Yeddyurappa’s leadership.
Since they did not get the invite till Monday, they took the 129 supporting legislators to Thakur for physical verification and announced later that if the invite did not come by Tuesday evening, they would launch an agitation.
Earlier in the day, Sadananda Gowda and his JD-S counterpart Merajuddin Patel announced at a press conference that the two parties would stage an agitation from Raj Bhavan on Wednesday if Yeddyurappa was not invited to form the government by Tuesday evening.
Yeddyurappa and all the 13 BJP Members of Parliament from Karnataka are reaching New Delhi on Wednesday to meet President Pratibha Patil.
A glum-looking Yeddyurappa told reporters outside Raj Bhavan after meeting Thakur that the governor was satisfied with the numbers and the documents submitted to him on Monday for staking claim to form the government.
“He is fully satisfied with our claim. He told us he would send the report to the central government tomorrow (Wednesday) or the day after.
“We are also satisfied with the talks as the governor said he will act within the framework of the constitutional provisions,” Yeddyurappa said.
Later, addressing a press conference at his house, Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar said the plan to meet the president in New Delhi on Wednesday stands.
The planned agitation will continue till the combine is allowed to form the government, they said.