BJP to meet Prez Patil on Sept 2 to demand Guj Guv recall

New Delhi, Aug 30 (PTI) A delegation of Bhartiya Janta
Party(BJP) Members of Parliament(MPs) would meet President
Pratibha Patil on September 2 to demand recall of western
Indian state Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal on the charge that
she had violated the federal character by appointing the
Lokayukta(state anti-corruption ombudsman) without consulting
the Chief Minister.
"We had sought an appointment with the President. Since
she is not in the capital at the moment, she has given us time
on September 2. A delegation of our MPs will meet her to
demand the recall of Gujarat governor for violating the
Constitution and its federal character," senior BJP leader and
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters
today.
The BJP is miffed at Gujarat Governor's decision to
appoint R A Mehta, an activist who has spoken against the
Narendra Modi government in the past, as Lokayukta of the
state without consulting the Chief minister and his cabinet.
The main opposition stalled Parliament Tuesday over this
issue and demanded Beniwal's immediate removal.
Later, Swaraj insisted that larger issues like breaking
down of Constitutional norms, misuse of Governor's office and
attack on the federal structure were at stake here.
Swaraj's counterpart in the Rajya Sabha(Upper House of
Indian Parliament) Arun Jaitley, who is also an MP from
Gujarat, said Congress and its senior ministers should
introspect on how the federal structure had been breached by
the Governor's action.
"We have reason to believe that the Governor would
also be nudged by the Centre to do this.... The governor
should be removed forthwith," Jaitley said.
BJP has further alleged that all attempts by the Modi
government to appoint a Lokayukta were thwarted by successive
governors since 2006. "Under section 3(1) of the Gujarat Lokayukta Act, the
governor can appoint a Lokayukta in consultation with the
chief justice of the high court and in consultation with the
leader of opposition of the state assembly. The intention of
the law is not to exclude the chief minister of the state,"
Jaitley said.
The BJP's objection to Mehta's appointment as Lokayukta
is that he is an activist who has spoken against the state
government in the past.
"As per Article 163 of the Constitution, the governor
has to work according to the aid and advice of the council of
ministers. The lokayukta was appointed without informing the
chief minister," Swaraj said.
The BJP appears to be striking a cautious note in
Gujarat after the then Karnataka Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa was indicted by the state Lokayukta Santosh Hegde
for graft. Yeddyurappa had to step down from his post due to
Hegde's report.
The BJP maintained that as many as three failed attempts
were made to appoint the Lokayukta in the past.
In 2006, after consulting the leader of opposition in
Gujarat and obtaining the consent of the chief justice of the
high Court, the Modi government had advised the Governor to
appoint retired Justice Kshitij R Vyas as Lokayukta.