SC no to urgently hear plea against Congress-JD-S invite to form government

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused urgent hearing on a plea filed by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) challenging Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to invite the alliance of the Congress and the JD-S to form a government in the state.

The petition was mentioned before a bench of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice Navin Sinha which refused to give urgent hearing, saying the petition would be heard in due course.

The plea, filed by Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, said: "Such fraudulent, opportunist, collusive, tactics between these two political parties have defrauded the electorate of Karnataka which is against the basic structure of the Constitution of India."

The Governor was bound to consider the concept of popular government in a parliamentary democratic system and the opportunistic post-poll coalition has to be disregarded by the Governor keeping in view the people's will, the Hindu outfit's plea said.

JD-S legislative party leader Kumaraswamy will take oath as Chief Minister on Wednesday.

Kumaraswamy was invited by the Governor to form the government as the leader of the JD-S legislative party with the support of the Congress.

The invitation came a few hours after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislature party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa on May 19 stepped down as the Chief Minister ahead of his trust vote as his party with 104 seats fell seven seats short of a simple majority (111) in the 224-member hung Assembly.

This is the second time Kumaraswamy, the son of JD-S supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, will be the Chief Minister of the southern state, 12 years after the JD-S formed a coalition government with the BJP on February 4, 2006 and remained in office for 20 months.