Sindhia calls for president's rule in Karnataka

Hubli, Apr 19 (UNI) Former Karnataka Mnister and Janata dal (S) senior leader P G R Sindhia today demanded imposition of president rule in Karnataka and holding of elections to the state assembly afresh.

Talking to newsmen here he said the coalition government in the state was functioning in an unconstitutional way. This has been brought to the notice of the governor and a memorandum was submitted today by his party men at Bangalore, he said.

He said there was no provision to postpone elections to the municipal corporations and bodies but the government purposefully made a mess in reservations with an intention to postpone the elections, which could have been held long back.

He claimed that ''never in the history of Karnataka assembly, new programmes were announced, after presenting the budget in the house''. But Mr Yediyurappa did so. The government was also planning to undo the village panchayat system introduced by the then chief minister Ramakirshna Hegde at the behest of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.

He accused Mr Gowda of striving for the betterment of his family members in general and his sons in particular.

Asserting that administration machinery in the state collapsed completely, Mr Sindhia corruption has taken the prime place in the administration and 'Yes Master' bureaucrats were posted to suit the corruption. He also criticized BJP for organising 'Vikas' yatras when over 120 taluks in the state were reeling under sever drought.

Urging senior leader and home minister M P Prakash not to retire from active politics, Mr Sindhia wanted him to abide by the directions of late former chief minsiter Ramakrishna Hegde and J H Patel to forge a third force in the state.

UNI