Date:04/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110458590100.htm

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Round-the-clock dharna by BJP

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday launched a three-day, round-the-clock dharna here to pressure Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur to invite its leader B.S. Yeddyurappa to form a government.

The former BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu, State unit chief D.V. Sadananda Gowda, party general secretary and MP H.N. Ananth Kumar and Mr. Yeddyurappa participated in the protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Queen’s Road on the first day.

From the Janata Dal (Secular), which has offered to be part of the coalition, the State president N. Merajuddin Patel participated.

Mr. Naidu said even seven days after Mr. Yeddyurappa staked claim to form the government, the BJP was yet to receive an invitation from the Governor. It was evident that the Congress influenced the Governor, he said.

The party would continue protests in various forms across the State until it got the invitation.

“In a democracy, whoever has secured a majority should be invited to form the government,” Mr. Naidu said.

On October 29, the BJP-JD(S) combine paraded 129 legislators before the Governor to prove its majority.

Claiming that “the Governor is paathradhari [actor] and the Union Government is suthradhari [director],” Mr. Naidu said the party would raise the issue in both Houses of Parliament. “We will decide the next move as and when it requires. If necessary, we will parade 129 MLAs before the President.”

Before arriving at the dharna venue , Mr. Naidu, who reportedly carried a “message” from the BJP high command, held a two-hour meeting with Mr. Yeddyurappa and others.