Karnataka put under President8217;s Rule again

Karnataka has been put under President's Rule for 2nd time in little over a month and the Assembly kept under suspended animation.

Karnataka was on Tuesday brought under President8217;s rule for the second time in little over a month and the Assembly kept under suspended animation but a decision has been taken to dissolve it when government approaches Parliament.

President Pratibha Patil signed the proclamation bringing the state under Central rule after the Union Cabinet accepted Governor Rameshwar Thakur8217;s recommendation in this regard and advised such a course of action, sources said.

The Centre8217;s action comes a day after the first-ever BJP government in the south collapsed following coalition partner JDS8217; decision to vote against the government8217;s confidence vote in the Assembly on Monday.

An early morning meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh just before he left for Singapore took the decision.

8220;The report of the Governor has been approved by the Cabinet and a recommendation has gone to the President for immediate imposition of President8217;s Rule in Karnataka,8221; Union Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.

He said the government will seek the approval of Parliament for imposition of Central rule in Karnataka and dissolution of the state Assembly at the 8220;earliest opportunity.8221;

8220;We are coming back to Parliament both for approval of President8217;s Rule and dissolution of the House,8221; Dasmunsi said.

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The Cabinet had met last night to assess the political situation on the basis of the Governor8217;s report in the wake of the collapse of the BJP-led government following ally JDS8217; refusal to support it.

The Centre8217;s decision to impose President8217;s Rule, the second time in the last two months, brings to an end the political drama that was witnessed in the state on the issue of transfer of power between coalition partners BJP and JDS.

Karnataka was under Central rule for 34 days from October nine to November 12 after the fall of the JDS-BJP coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy and the state Assembly was kept under suspended animation.

The saffron party8217;s B S Yeddyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister of the first BJP-led government in the South on November eight.

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The fresh crisis was triggered by BJP8217;s refusal to accept JDS8217; latest demands to sign a new power-sharing deal alloting plum ministerial portfolios to it.

After JDS refused to vote for BJP, Yeddyurappa announced his decision to quit in the House on Monday and submitted his resignation to the Governor, who then recommended imposition of President8217;s Rule in the state.

In the 224-member house, the BJP has a 79 legislators, folloWed by Congress 64, JDS 58, JDU five, Vatal Paksha, Kannada Naadu, CPM and RPI one each and independents 13.