Cabinet panel to take a call on Karnataka today

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) will meet here tomorrow to discuss the political crisis in Karnataka, amid indications the Centre is considering revocation of president's rule in the state.

Sources said the CCPA was expected to discuss Governor Rameshwar Thakur's report, which said that situation was not ripe for lifting president's rule.

This came as the Congress core committee met here tonight to discuss the situation. Sources said a large section of the party expressed support for revoking president's rule and allowing the BJP and the JD(S) to form government.

The section feels the two parties, which parted ways recently after a bitter fight, will not be able to pull together, which will benefit the Congress in the long run.

Meanwhile, continuing its campaign to pressure the Centre into revoking central rule and paving the way for a BJP-JD(S) government, BJP MPs, accompanied by senior leader LK Advani and party President Rajnath Singh, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Not content with this, the party organised a huge rally in Bangalore, the aim being to embarrass the Centre into withdrawing president's rule.

The BJP leaders told the prime minister that four days had passed since the BJP-JD(S) combine staked claim to form government in Karnataka, and raised issues about Governor Rameshwar Thakur taking a suspiciously long time to decide.

The BJP leaders also brought to Singh's notice the Congress' demand for dissolution of the Assembly and said the BJP-JD(S) combine had the support of 129 MLAs in the 224-member House.

The prime minister assured the Centre would go "by the spirit of the Constitution but did not give any specific timeframe" for lifting president's rule, BJP Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu said after the 30-minute meeting at 7, Race Course Road, the prime minister's residence.

"The prime minister suggested the governor should be given reasonable time. But we told him that four days had passed since we handed over the letter staking claim to form a government," Naidu said.

BJP leaders drew the prime minister's attention to a Supreme Court observation in connection with Bihar that shifting stands of political parties could not be a ground for dissolution of the Assembly.

In Bangalore, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj said if need be, the BJP and the JD(S) MLAs could be paraded in front of President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi.