New Delhi: The Left parties on Monday condemned
the "unconstitutional and undemocratic" manner in which the
BJP government won a majority in Karnataka Assembly, with the
CPI demanding dismissal of the state government.
CPI National Secretary D Raja said the state government
should be dismissed as democratic methods were not followed by
it to garner majority and the BJP had lost its moral authority
to continue in office.
He said the decision of the Presiding Officer (Speaker) to
disqualify some rebel BJP and Independent MLAs before the vote
"could be questioned".
"There should have been order in the House and a division
of votes allowed. The entire process should have been carried
out in a democratic and transparent manner," he said adding
that the developments did not augur well for democracy as it
set "a very bad precedent".
The CPI(M) Politburo said the BJP could not continue in
office till it established majority through a division of
votes.
Quoting the Supreme Court judgement in the Bommai case, it
said, "a government has to prove its majority on the floor of
the House to continue in office. Any disqualification of an
MLA can occur only after the vote when the party whip has been
violated. Further, this cannot apply to Independent MLAs."
Maintaining that the Yeddyurappa government "refused" to
have division of votes in the House and relied on a voice vote
to claim majority, the CPI(M) said the entire development
"constitutes a brazen constitutional impropriety and cannot be
allowed. The Yeddyurappa government cannot remain in office
unless it establishes its majority through a division of votes
on the floor of the Assembly".
-PTI
