BANGALORE (PT?): S Bangarappa chief minister of the southern Indian state of Karnataka resigned on Nov.11 after gauging the pulse of his party Legislator’s members of parliament and ministerial colleagues who advised him to honor the Congress (I) high commands directives.
The year-long political stalemate in the dissidence ridden Congress party in Karnataka has blown over with Bangarappa’s resignation.
Dissidents stepped up their “oust Bangarappa and save Congress campaign” quoting instances of alleged omissions and commissions by the Bangarappa government.
According to Bangarappa dissidents in the party started their activities from the day he wok over as chief minister.
The dissidents also quoted the instance of Bangarappa defying the high command by not attending the Tirupathi session of the All India Congress-I committee stripping of portfolios of senior ministers like M. Veerappa Moily and Aziz Sait without permission of the high command doctoring of cabinet records pertaining to granting of permission to nine capitation fee based private engineering colleges and holding the Oct.17 Sadhaneya Samavesha (to celebrate second anniversary of his government) despite protest by partymen.
The situation worsened with resignation of three ministers Aziz Sait Manorama Madhwaraj and M.S. Atmananda. This was followed by six more resignations including that of senior minister M.Vecrappa Moily chief minister aspirant along with K.Shivamurthy and T.M.Manjunath.
Taking a serious view of the deteriorating party image in Kamataka the party high command deputed a high level team of observers headed by union home minister S.B.Chavan on November 3 to assess the situation.
The team which made an indepth study for three days and gathered individual opinion of party legislators MPs and other leaders submitted its report to party president Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao who summoned Bangarappa and asked him to resign since the report was adverse to him
Article extracted from this publication >> November 20, 1992
