I respect governor, will clear misunderstanding: Yeddyurappa

SHIMOGA - Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Tuesday sought to assuage an angry Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, saying that he respected him and would regularly brief him to prevent any misunderstanding.

“I have a lot of respect for the governor. He is experienced and elder to me. I will take guidance from him,” Yeddyurappa, who had threatened to write to President Pratibha Patil against Bhardwaj’s style of functioning, told reporters here.

Bhardwaj has been frequently criticizing the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka and was particularly upset that Yeddyurappa had not replied to two of his letters.

One sought a “true picture” of allegations against Yeddyurappa over prime land to his kin. The second was on action taken against the Reddy brothers, who are also ministers, over their alleged illegal iron ore mining activity.

Yeddyurappa replied after Bhardwaj publicly criticized him for not responding. But Bhardwaj found the reply to be not satisfactory and told reporters that he would send one more letter to Yeddyurappa.

Angry with this, Yeddyurappa announced he would take the matter to president Patil but later dropped the plan and left it to party central leaders to decide.

Yeddyurappa also said Tuesday that he would meet Bhardwaj Dec 31 for talks. He would also invite him to address the joint sitting of the two legislatures Jan 6.

“In the interest of the state, there should not be any misunderstanding between the government and the governor. I will meet him once in a fortnight and will direct senior officers to periodically brief the governor,” Yeddyurappa said.

While Yeddyurappa has been mild in his attacks on the governor, his party colleagues do not mince words. They frequently call him “Congress agent”. Bhardwaj is a long-time Congressman and was central law minister before moving to Karnataka as governor.