The Hindu : `U.P. Governor partisan'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2002

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`U.P. Governor partisan'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 26 . The Opposition in the Lok Sabha today charged the BSP-BJP coalition Government in Uttar Pradesh with repression of political opponents and demanded that a session of the State Assembly be called immediately to determine if the Mayawati Government still enjoyed majority support.

The Samajwadi Party leader, Mulayam Singh, accused the U.P. Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, of playing a ``partisan role'' and supporting the actions of the Mayawati Government.

He said the State Government had crossed all limits of democratic norms and unleashed a ruthless wave of ``repression'' against political activists who dared to raise their voice against it — particularly independent MLAs who had withdrawn support to it.

Initiating a discussion on the political situation in U.P., Mr. Yadav said the State Government was ``misusing'' the Gangster Act against political leaders and people's representatives.

Demanding the recall of the State Governor for his ``unconstitutional'' stand in protecting the Mayawati Government, Mr. Yadav said he had ensured that that BSP-BJP Ministry did not have to prove its majority on the floor of the House. The S.R. Bommai case had no relevance to U.P. as it had laid down that the question whether a government enjoyed majority or not should be cleared on the floor of the House.

The senior CPI(M) leader, Somnath Chatterjee, lamented that the country's politics has reached its nadir because of opportunistic alliances forged only to grab power.

He wondered whether it was similarity in principles that had brought together parties such as the BJP and BSP in U.P. He said the ideologies of the different constituents of the National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre had nothing in common.

The conduct of the U.P. Governor showed that he had not upheld the spirit of the Constitution. ``The Governor should start thinking for himself and not be guided by his mentors in the RSS. After textbooks, Raj Bhavans have also been saffronised,'' Mr. Chatterjee said.

The results of the recent council elections had shown that Ms. Mayawati did not enjoy majority support. ``Uncertainty should not continue; the sooner it goes the better it is for U.P. and the country,'' he said.

Shriprakash Jaiswal of the Congress said the Governor must maintain the dignity of his Constitutional position and convene a session of the Assembly.

Swami Chinmayanand of the BJP blamed the Samajwadi Party for ushering in a period of uncertainty and instability in U.P. in 1989 and alleged that the party was the first to nominate criminal elements in elections. He said 14 Ministries had changed in U.P. over the past 13 years.

The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, is expected to reply tomorrow.

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