Bhandari should resign: UP speaker

Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Kesri Nath Tripathi says Governor Romesh Bhandari should resign.

Tripathi, who was in Shimla, was asked by reporters whether Bhandari should be removed.

"It is a political demand," Tripathi said, "but the governor should quit voluntarily."

Referring to the unruly scenes in the UP assembly during the special sitting for the trust vote on Tuesday, he said: ''It was very unfortunate. It should not have happened. Unfortunately, it did happen.''

Asked about Bhandari's report to the Centre, he said, ''If what is published in the newspapers is true, then he has not given the correct version.''

Tripathi accused the governor of trying to encroach upon the assembly's Constitutional rights. ''I had to put my foot down and tell him what is the correct Constitutional procedure.''

As long as he was the speaker, Tripathi continued, he would not allow the assembly to be undermined by anyone 'howsoever high he might be.''

He said he had objected to the appointment of observers by the governor. '' The letter sent by Bhandari after my telephone talk with him did not use the word observer,'' he added.

He had told the governor that passes could be issued to any person who could sit in the gallery. But as far as the observer was concerned, he has no Constitutional sanction and ''therefore, you (governor) have no right to appoint any observer.''

The governor could only send a message and not a direction to the speaker according to Article 175.

''I clearly brought this to his notice. But he did not agree with me. He thought his message was a direction and I told him that your message is (only) a message,'' Tripathi said.

"Such a communication could be the opinion of the governor, but the House is not bound by his message. As far as procedural matters are concerned, the governor cannot issue any direction to the house," he added.

Tripathi said he had called on President K R Narayanan who gave him a patient hearing. He said he told the President that it was not a question of the failure of the government but the failure of the legislative assembly. He said the President, by his stand on the issue, has defended the Constitution.

UNI

EARLIER REPORTS:
Bhandari accused of doctoring observers report
Kalyan Singh moves court against Bhandari
Thank You, Rashtrapatiji
'The President must do much more'
'It shows he is independent and wise'
Karunanidhi against President's rule in UP
Orissa JD members flay move to impose President's rule in UP
BSP declares war on BJP