Udupi: Members of the district unit of the Congress staged a dharna near the War Memorial here on Thursday against Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala for allowing swearing-in of State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party B.S. Yeddyurappa as Chief Minister of the State.

Addressing the protesters, Vinay Kumar Sorake, former MLA, said that it was strange that Mr. Vala had sworn in Mr. Yeddyurappa, though the latter did not have the support of majority of MLAs in the Assembly.

The strength of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) together was more than that of the BJP, crossing the majority mark.

Yet Mr. Vala had thrown democratic norms to the winds and sworn in Mr. Yeddyurappa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah were behind this move, he said.

Mr. Sorake said that though the Congress was the single largest party in Goa, Manipur and Mizoram, the Governors of those States had ignored the claims of the party and sworn in the leaders of the coalition parties.

The Union government was twisting democratic norms as per its wishes, which was wrong, he added.

The Congress in the State would intensify its agitation in the coming days if remedial measures were not taken and the Congress-Janata Dal(S) coalition government was not sworn in, he said.

The BJP was spreading false stories on the social media that the MLAs were deserting the Congress-Janata Dal(S) coalition.

The MLAs of both these parties were firm and the coalition was ready to prove its majority on the floor of the House, Mr. Sorake said.

U.R. Sabhapathi, M.A. Gafoor, Diwakar Shetty, Deviprasad Shetty, Veronica Carnelio, Geeta Wagle, Kishan Hegde Kolkebail, Janardhan Tonse, Congress leaders, were present.