BJP two-faced on Article 355: Congress

BANGALORE: Congress leaders accused Chief Minister BS Yedydurappa and BJP leaders of adopting double standards in invoking Article 355 of the Constitution which empowers the Central government to issue advisory to any state government which fails to function in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.Former ministers and senior Congress leaders Basavaraj Rayareddy, A Krishnappa and Shivamurthy, took serious exception to the CM's statement that the Centre had no power to issue advisory to states by invoking Article 355 of the Constitution.They told reporters that when the BJP was heading the NDA government at the Centre, it had warned the state governments several times.Recalling that the Centre had issued advisories to Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Bihar governments when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister and his senior colleague LK Advani was the home minister, Congress leaders wondered how the BJP leaders were questioning the authority of the Union Home Ministry on the advisory sent by the UPA government. They alleged that Yeddyurappa does not have even a minimum knowledge of the law and the Constitution.Strongly defending the Governor's action in recommending the dismissal of the BJP government, Congress leaders opined that lack of requisite number for the UPA came in handy for the BJP government in Karnataka."In the backdrop of the SC verdict and strictures passed in the 16 legislators disqualification case, the CM and Speaker of the Assembly should have resigned to uphold moral values in politics," they said.Notwithstanding the setback, the Congress would continue its struggle against the corrupt BJP regime, the leaders said.