MYSURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called for a national debate on governors’ role and their interference in governance.
Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru that a governor is a nominated constitutional head and is not elected to run a government and interfere with the day-to-day administration. “The Constitution will not be safe if they (governors) interfere in administration,” the CM said, adding that they (politicians) have been elected by the people and given the mandate to rule for five years to develop the state.
On Central agencies like the Directorate of Enforcement and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) being misused to carry out ‘Operation Lotus’ to poach Congress MLAs, the CM said the agencies and the governor’s office were being misused to destabilise democratically elected governments. He went on to add that the BJP-led Union Government was conspiring to destabilise his government. “BJP tried Operation Lotus and failed miserably as Congress has 136 MLAs.
Even in the past, they failed to get a majority but gained a backdoor entry to power,” he added.
Siddaramaiah reiterated that there was no question of him resigning as he had done no wrong and he would fight the “politically motivated” case legally. “JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy faces denotification charges, but he is continuing as a union minister in the NDA government,” Siddaramaiah shot back, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has no moral right to accuse the Congress or the Karnataka government of corruption.
The Chief Minister further said that he did not wind up Lokayukta, like in many BJP-ruled states, and instead constituted the Anti -Corruption Bureau. “I am not scared. Show me one person in the BJP who is not corrupt. I will felicitate them,” he said, adding that he would not do anything against the Constitution. He also said that he would not discontinue the five guarantees.
