Governor's address: House likely to witness stormy scenes

Bangalore, Feb 26 (UNI) The Karnataka Assembly is likely to witness stormy scenes and heated discussions tomorrow with the Opposition parties, which had staged a walkout against Governor T N Chaturvedi delivering a second address to the joint session of the Legislature in the same year last Friday, determined to press for a discussion on the first address delivered on January 19.

The Governor had addressed the joint session on February 24, despite the Opposition parties, led by the Congress, meeting him at the Raj Bhavan and requesting him not to deliver the address as it was in violation of Constitutional provisions.

Irked by the Governor's act, the opposition members, including the Congress, CPI, and Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, had staged a walkout as soon as the Governor got up to deliver the address, prepared by the new JD (S)-BJP government, highlighting its policies and programmes.

Terming the Governor's act as ''unconstitutional,'' Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and former Chief Minister N Daram Singh had told reporters that the new JD(S)-BJP coalition government had committed a ''blunder'' by inviting Mr Chaturvedi to deliver a second address, when his earlier address was yet to be taken up for discussion and the motion of thanks moved on it.

Pointing out that as per Article 176 (1) of the Constitution, the Governor could address a joint session only once a year or after the elections, he explained that as per Article 175 (1), under which the present joint session was convened, the Governor could deliver only a message.

Hence the House should take up the Governor's first speech only for discussion, Mr Singh said and contended that legal opinion on the issue also favoured their argument. If the new government was not happy with the policies and programmes announced in the first address, it could amend it later, he added.

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