'The governor did not go by the rule book'
George Iype in New Delhi
President K R Narayanan will consult constitutional and legal experts on Sunday on Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari's controversial dismissal of the Kalyan Singh government.
Rashtrapati Bhavan sources said the President, who was closely monitoring political developments in UP on Saturday, feels "the Governor did not go by the rule book".
A spokesperson for the President told Rediff On The NeT that the governor did not consult Narayanan on the political situation in UP.
Narayanan is reportedly perturbed by "the arbitrary manner" in which Bhandari dismissed Kalyan Singh.
The President feels the governor is not constitutionally empowered to decide the majority of a government from Raj Bhavan. Rather, he should have asked Kalyan Singh to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly.
It is not clear if the President, who is known to be a stickler for rules, will proceed to call Bhandari's bluff.
But sources say the President would soon act -- by either removing Bhandari (dismissing or recalling him from his post), or calling him over to Rashtrapati Bhavan to explain his action.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders said on Saturday night that the party would move the Supreme Court to challenge Bhandari's order dismissing the Kalyan Singh government.
Senior party leaders, led by president L K Advani, will meet the President on Sunday morning and seek the governor's dismissal and restoration of the Kalyan Singh government, leaving it with the option of proving its majority in the assembly.
"We will also challenge the governor's highly partisan action in the Supreme Court," BJP vice-president Sunder Singh Bhandari told Rediff On The NeT.
"The governor has thrown constitutional rules to winds and became an arbiter of our government from his official bungalow," he said.
The BJP vice-president said the governor did not use common sense and that the party was not ready "to suffer the pranks of the constitutional head of a state."
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