Press Trust of India Posted online: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 at 1555 hours IST
New Delhi, January 24: Mounting an offensive on the government in the wake of the Supreme Court judgement on Bihar, leader of Opposition L K Advani today charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with misleading the President on the State Assembly dissolution and demanded his resignation along with that of Governor Buta Singh.
Holding UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also ‘accountable’ for the government's
decision, he announced that an NDA delegation would meet President A P J Abdul Kalam and submit a memorandum to him.
The former BJP president the party was open to discussing the idea of appointing apolitical persons as Governors.
"The judgement in its totality suggests that if the government had misled the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister as head of the government had misled the President into committing an unconstitutional act," Advani told an impromptu press conference at his residence here.
Maintaining that the apex court has been understandably polite in respect of the Council of Ministers, he stated, "whatever has been said, it has found the Council of Ministers guilty of non-application of mind. For Council of Ministers to accept governor's report without verification as gospel of truth is a very strong comment."
The BJP leader said nobody who has read the judgement would agree with the Congress party's contention that the verdict does not hold the government guilty though the comments are "polite and courteous."
"Democratic accountability demands that both the Prime Minister and the Governor should quit their offices", he said.
Advani described as ‘gross contempt of court’ Governor Buta Singh's remarks "immediately after the indictment" that he would take salute in Patna on Republic Day.
"For an indicted person to talk in this arrogant manner is adding insult to injury. From a democratic viewpoint, this will have far reaching consequences", he said.
The verdict, he said, "indicated that the Governor's report was motivated to prevent someone from taking office".
"When the Prime Minister convened a cabinet meeting at the dead of the night, he was sub serving the same motive which had prompted the Governor - preventing duly elected representatives of people from forming a legitimate government", the BJP leader said.
He said though going by language and phrases, the court's accusation may seem harsher against the Governor, "the culpability of the Prime Minister is vidently greater because he convened a meeting in the dead of the night and it was he who was instrumental in misleading the President".
Advani said he has spoken to NDA convener George Fernandes on the issue and the Opposition alliance "proposed to submit a memorandum to the President in this regard".
Asked about the court's suggestion for a national policy outlining common norms for appointment of Governors, he said the inter-state council had not accepted it but the NDA government used to not only consult but also appoint governors with the consent of the states.
He said BJP had an open mind if the issue was reconsidered by the inter-state council.
Asked why BJP was not blaming the President for accepting the Cabinet's recommendation, he said in the bommai case, it was held that under Article 356, the President was bound to accept the advice of the Council of Ministers.
