K'taka Oppn leaders urge Governor to avoid crisis

Bangalore, Feb 22 (UNI) Leaders of all the Opposition parties in Karnataka today urged Governor T N Chaturvedi to avoid the Constitutional crisis likely to arise, if he addressed the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature on February 24.

Talking to reporters after meeting the Governor, Former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh said he (the Governor) would become a party to committing an ''unconstitutional act,'' at the instance of the state government, if he addressed the joint session.

He explained that under Article 176 of the Constitution, the Governor had already delivered his address to the joint session on January 19 and the process was incomplete as his government had fallen before moving the motion of thanks to the Governor's address.

As under Article 176, the Governor could deliver his address to the joint session only once a year or immediately after the elections, the new JD (S)-BJP coalition government had called him to address the joint session under Article 175 (1).

Terming the state government's act as ''unconstitutional and unlawful,'' Mr Singh said under Article 175 (1), the Governor could only deliver a message to the joint session and not an address, highlighting the policies and programmes of the state government.

The provisions of Article 175 (1) and 176 were totally different and distinct, he pointed out.

Mr Singh said the opposition leaders during the meeting urged the Governor to uphold the provisions of the Constitution in the interest of democracy.

Mr Vatal Nagaraj from Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha was among the leaders who met the Governor.

UNI SIV RG RP GC2130