Supreme Court saves democracy

The fast-changing political scenario in Karnataka, where BJP & Congress-JD(S) alliance were trying to outsmart each other in reaching the magical figure of 112, has not only kept the political pundits on tenterhook but the Supreme Court judges had also to go through the sleepless night and restive day in deciding their legal battle. The battle to form the government not only confined to political arena but also spilled over to the court with Congress-JD(S) alliance approaching the Supreme Court by first challenging Karnataka governor decision to invite the BJP to form government and again on appointment of pro-tem speaker. The court first ordered floor test for BS Yeddyurappa by Sat May 19, 2018 4PM and later ordered the proceedings to be video recorded and telecast live to bring fairness to proceedings.

• Had SC not intervened, BS Yedurappa would have successfully completed horse trading and won floor test in stipulated 15 days time. And BJP, Modi & Co would have resorted to high decibel campaign that JDS & Congress MLAs defecting on their own will, getting attracted to Modi & BJP's policies and so on. But SC reducing floor test time to just 35 hours preempted all BJP's evil undemocratic efforts of horsetrading of MLAs. And BS Yedurappa was compelled to resign and avoid floor test.
• SC deserves credit for upholding the democratic values. But yet another Institution, the Governor of Karnataka has been reduced to just another wagging tail of shameless BJP. 
• Kudos to Justice A K Sikri (bench headed by him) and comprising Justice SA Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan, for fearlessly passing orders and saving democracy much to the discomfort of PM Modi and ruling party BJP.
• Utterly bitterly shame on BJP & Modi to have subverted the office of Governor and attempted horse trading to get themselves to power in Karnataka. Modi & BJP lost the right to talk about ethics now. The shameless Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Vala, must resign on his own or the President must sack him. Those who compel and impose fake nationalism were seen walking out when National Anthem was sung.
• The beauty of democracy is that whenever executive tends to misbehave autocratically, in violation of constitution, other institution(s) shall rise to fill the void and correct the coarse of events. Hence it is crucial to ensure independence of press & media and all its autonomous institutions.

Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed 

no better than we deserve ... George Bernard Shaw

In the 1996 general elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the Lok Sabha and AB Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of India, but failed to muster enough support from other parties to obtain a majority. He resigned after 13 days, when it became clear that he could not garner a majority. He just needed 1 or 2 MP's to scrape through the floor test, which could have been easily managed, unethically. But Vajpayee preferred to stick to ethics and resigned after delivering emotional farewell speech in Lok Sabha. On the contrary, Yedurappa having failed in all his shameless unethical efforts to buyout any of the JDS or Congress MLAs, attempted to deliver emotional speech on May 19, 2018 in Karnataka Assembly, emulating Vajpayee, is ridiculed by one and all. Shameless Yedurappa, BJP and its leadership.

Yedurappa resigns. But what about Governor Vajubhai Vala?

• Just two days after taking oath as the Chief Minister, Karnataka BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa resigned ahead of the crucial vote of confidence on the floor of the house.
• Outnumbered by the Congress-JD(S) combine, the BJP needed the support of 111 MLAs to sail through the vote of confidence on the floor of the house. It had only 104 and its efforts to buyout few MLAs from JDS and/or Congress fell flat leaving indelible blot on their face.
• In a surprise farewell speech in the Assembly, an emotional Yeddyurappa said he will campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and ensure that BJP wins all 28 LS seats in the state.
• The BJP never had the numbers, but the governor invited them to form government and generously gave 2 weeks time for horse-trading and winning trust motion on floor of the Assembly. But Supreme Court curtailed the time to just to 36 hours, only to avoid judicial scrutiny of actions of constitutional office of Governor.
• The Supreme Court today ordered live telecast of the floor test, when Congress challenged the appointment of KG Bopaiah (BJP MLA) as Protem Speaker who is not the senior most MLA but also with questionable past record as speaker.
• In a democracy we have to accept not only people's verdict but also the follow the rule of law.
• Earlier in the week, BJP which had emerged as the single largest party, was invited by the Governor Vajubhai Vala to form the government ignoring the post poll coalition between JDS and Congress, which together had 115 MLAs, well above the mark of simple majority of 112/222 which was challenged by JDS & Congress in Supreme Court for staying the swearing-in of BS Yedurappa as the Chief Minister. 
• "The Governor has invited us to form the government. The swearing in ceremony will be organised on Monday May 21, 2018. I have personally invited Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Chandrashekhar Rao and Chandrababu Naidu to attend the ceremony," Kumaraswamy told reporters.

Governor Vajubhai Vala's  baseless and senseless decision to invite minority BJP leader Yedurappa, ignoring JDS+Congress combine's leader HD Kumara Swamy with clear majority that lead to intense horse trading activity by BJP with unlimited budgets of several thousands of crores of rupees was thwarted by JDS & Congress leadership, cadre with support of Supreme Court interventions, almost all opposition leaders across many states, JDS & Congress MLAs unwilling to cross parties within hours of electing by public. Karnataka showed that the BJP's downslide has started with arrogant and audacious actions of Modi and Amit Shah, who lost their face with steep fall from their high moral ground to deep corruption. Their credibility is totally lost and this fiasco will have its telling effect on 2019 General Elections on Modi & BJP. The need of the hour is that Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala must resign and get out.