Dharam urges holding of session at the earliest

Bangalore, Nov 13: Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly N Dharam Singh today asked Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to advance the Assembly session from November 23 for seeking vote of confidence for the newly installed BJP-JD(S) Government. ''It is a clear and persisting indication of instability,'' he told newspersons here, pointing to the postponement of the session for seeking trust vote from November 15 to November 23.

Another factor to indicate that all was not well in the renewed alliance between the BJP and the JD (S) was the absence of JD(S) MLAs during the swearing-in-ceremony. The oath could have been administered to members of both the coalition partners as had been the practice in the past, he added.

Mr Singh also pointed out that the Governor in his report to the Centre had made a mention about this and it was a serious issue.

Criticising the BJP for the way it conducted the oath taking ceremony in front of the Vidhana Soudha yesterday, he said the ceremony had lost its sanctity with the BJP turning it into a party function.

''Vidhana Soudha is the property of the State and no party or religion should have its domination over it,'' he said.

Mr Singh criticised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his statement that Karnataka would follow the Gujarat model and asked him whether he meant a repetition of the Godhra incident in the communally-peaceful State.

UNI