Picture Courtesy : Livemint
Reacting to the political development in Karnataka, Congress President Rahul Gandhi in a scathing attack has termed the swearing-in of BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa as Karnataka Chief Minister a ‘mockery’ of Constitution after his party failed to garner a majority in the state assembly.
Yeddyurappa took oath as the Chief Minister in Bengaluru hours after the Supreme Court declined to stay his swearing-in ceremony.
“The BJP’s irrational insistence that it will form a government in Karnataka, even though it clearly does not have the numbers, is to make a mockery of our Constitution,” Gandhi said on Twitter. “This morning, while the Bharatiya Janata Party celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy,” he added.
The BJP’s irrational insistence that it will form a Govt. in Karnataka, even though it clearly doesn’t have the numbers, is to make a mockery of our Constitution.
This morning, while the BJP celebrates its hollow victory, India will mourn the defeat of democracy.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 17, 2018
Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yeddyurappa at 9 a.m. at the Raj Bhavan amid tight security.
Earlier, a three-judge bench of the apex court rejected a joint writ petition of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) to stall the swearing-in at a special pre-dawn hearing.
Although the top court said the swearing-in was subject to the final outcome of the matter before it and posted the case for further hearing at 10.30 a.m. on Friday.
It also sought the letter Yeddyurappa wrote to the Governor on Wednesday informing him his election as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislature party leader in Karnataka.
Congress leader and former Finance Minister P.Chidambaram in series of tweets tweeted saying Yedyurappa’s letter to the Governor will ‘seal his fate’.
“Yedyurappa’s letter to the Governor will seal his fate. There is no mention of a number bigger than 104. The Governor’s invitation does not mention any number at all!” he wrote on the site.
I salute the Supreme Court. If I were Mr Yeddyurappa, I will not take oath until the hearing at 10.30 am on Friday, 18th May.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 17, 2018
Mr Yedyurappa’s letter to the Governor will seal his fate. There is no mention of a number bigger than 104. The Governor’s invitation does not mention any number at all!
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 17, 2018
Chidambaram also pointed out in a tweet that the 15 days given was to manufacture majority
Governor invites Mr Yeddyurappa to manufacture a majority in 15 days.
Governor gives Mr Yeddyurappa 15 days to convert the number 104 into 111.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) May 16, 2018
