A day after Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy called for a “revolt” against the BJP in Karnataka, BJP MP Sadananda Gowda and a delegation of the party’s leaders met with Governor Vajubhai Vala and submitted a memorandum requesting legal action to be taken against him.
Kumaraswamy and the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly BS Yeddyurappa indulged in a war of words on Thursday, with the CM even calling the BJP state chief an “old man” and asked him to “act according to his age”.
In the memorandum submitted to the Governor, BJP leaders state that Kumaraswamy’s words had a direct impact on the JD(S) and Congress workers who tried to allegedly vandalise Yeddyurappa’s home and also assaulted BJP leaders.
“On September 20,2018 in Haasan's Channarayapattana, the honourable Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy addressed the media and said, ‘If anybody tries to topple the government, I will call for the people of this holy land to revolt against BJP.’ Soon after the statement was made, Congress and JD(S) workers gathered outside BS Yeddyurappa’s residence in pretence of a protest and tried to vandalise his property. When the BJP leaders tried to stop them, they assaulted them. This was because the Chief Minister’s words had a direct impact on the Congress and the JD(S) party workers,” the memorandum states.
BJP leaders also alleged that the police were unable to control the situation and that the law and order situation in the state was crumbling.
“When all these activities were going on outside the house of the Leader of the Opposition, the police who were deployed for security was unable to stop it. After this incident, the law and the order situation in the state is at stake,” the memorandum adds.
The BJP leaders in the memorandum also said that Kumaraswamy had violated his oath as the CM of Karnataka. “Kumaraswamy who took oath as CM did not act in a manner prescribed by the Constitution. To act in an unparliamentary fashion is not what a CM should do. He has violated the terms of his oath and called for a revolt which is unconstitutional. CM’s words were deliberate and intentional,” the memorandum states.
The BJP leaders requested the Governor to take legal action against Kumarswamy and book him under section 121 (waging or abetting to wage war against government of India), 121A (conspiracy to commit offenses punishable under section 121), 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against government of India),123 (concealing with intent to facilitate, design to wage war against government of India) and 124A (sedition) of the IPC.
Speaking to the media after he submitted the memorandum, Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda said, "The Chief Minister said ‘go to the governor or the President of India. I know how to handle things’ He has spoken against the Constitution and we have requested the Governor to take action against him for speaking anti-Constitution words. The Governor has promised us that he will examine the evidence and take appropriate action. We believe that Kumaraswamy has lost all rights to continue in his position as the CM," he added.