BSY,his Cabinet skip Bhardwaj tea party

After observing courtesy norms and then listening to a lecture on corruption being an antithesis to the rule of law and good governance from Governor H R Bhardwaj at the Republic Day parade here,Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his entire Cabinet skipped a traditional tea party on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan. The absence of the BJP government from the Raj Bhavan lawns on Republic Day is being seen as a sign of the gulf that has developed between the Governor and the CM since Bhardwaj granted the sanction of the prosecution of Yeddyurappa on a complaint of corruption and the BJP,in turn,complained to the President for the Governors recall.

It was clear on Monday that Yeddyurappa would not be attending the tea party since he had scheduled a visit to a Mysore ashram at 4 pm,an hour ahead of the scheduled one-hour tea party at the Raj Bhavan. I am going to attend a religious function that is more important than a tea party, the CM said before flying off to Mysore in a helicopter. BJP state president K S Eshwarappa said the CM had excused himself from attending the tea party. Sources in the Raj Bhavan said that the CM had indicated prior commitments,but also added that it was the first time that a CM was absent for the traditional tea party for guests of the Governor. Ministers stayed away because they are expected to be at their district headquarters,the BJP state president said.

Earlier in the day,CM Yeddyurappa accorded Governor Bhardwaj a gracious welcome when he arrived for the Republic Day parade in the heart of Bangalore. During the course of his address the Governor made references to the corruption situation and said that corruption could debilitate development in the state. He also praised the efforts of the Karnataka Lok Ayukta in fighting corruption.

When the country is looking towards a seat at the high table in the world fora,we cannot afford to a glaring deficiency in our system, he said. In order to root out corruption,society will have to participate in a sustained manner to achieve any success. We have a very informed,enlightened and vigilant civil society. But we cannot afford to be complacent, he added.

Soon after the Governor finished his speech Yeddyurappa left the parade grounds.