Speaker UT Khader also met the Governor, Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani in tow, and submitted a report on Wednesday's Assembly proceedings.
Published Jul 21, 2023 | 1:36 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 21, 2023 | 1:39 AM
BJP and JD(S) leaders submitted a petition Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot regarding the "functioning" of the Congress government in the state at Raj Bhavan on Thursday. (Supplied)
A day after Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader suspended 10 BJP MLAs, the Opposition parties — the BJP and the JD(S) — boycotted the remainder of the proceedings of the House on Thursday, 20 July.
In a show of defiance, BJP leaders gathered in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Vidhana Soudha and raised slogans against the state government.
Their protest didn’t stop there: They marched to the Raj Bhavan to file complaints against Khader and the state government.
JD(S) Legislature Party leader HD Kumaraswamy joined with the BJP leaders and also expressed his grievances against the Speaker.
A joint delegation of both parties petitioned Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot regarding the “functioning” of the Congress government in the state, its “suppressive and dictatorial” nature, and also the conduct of the Speaker.
Khader also met the Governor, along with Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani, and submitted to him a report regarding the proceedings in the Assembly on Wednesday.
The Assembly session began on 3 July and is slated to end on 21 July.
On the penultimate day of the ongoing budget session, BJP and JD(S) leaders announced that they would boycott the remainder of it.
The BJP and the JD(S) MLAs who skipped the ongoing Assembly session on Thursday held a meeting of its legislators separately.
The BJP legislators then staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha and raised slogans against the government and the Speaker.
ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯ ಹತ್ತು ಜನ ಸದಸ್ಯರನ್ನು ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆ ಕಲಾಪದಿಂದ ಅಮಾನತು ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಸ್ಪೀಕರ್ ಯು.ಟಿ. ಖಾದರ್ ಆದೇಶ ಖಂಡಿಸಿ ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದ ಬಳಿ ಇರುವ ಗಾಂಧಿ ಪ್ರತಿಮೆ ಎದುರು ಧರಣಿ ನಡೆಸಿ ಪ್ರತಿಭಟಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. pic.twitter.com/yjraNS3HY3
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) July 20, 2023
Later, marched under the leadership of former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai to the Raj Bhavan, where they were joined by JD(S) MLAs led by former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, and submitted a memorandum to the Governor.
Subsequently, Bommai told reporters: “The Governor heard us in detail and said that he would speak to the chief secretary and get a report, and that he would also speak to the legislature secretary and give appropriate directions.”
He added: “We will boycott the Assembly tomorrow also and take the issues to the people. JD(S) leaders have also spoken to us, and on all issues concerning people we will fight together both inside and outside the Assembly.”
He also said: “We will continue to stage protests in front of the Gandhi statue. The party will hold a protest at all district centres on Saturday.”
Earlier in the day, BJP legislators chaired a meeting under the headship of the party’s state chief and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel at Jagannath Bhavan in the Malleswaram area of Bengaluru.
In the meeting, it was decided to boycott the remaining proceedings of the ongoing budget session.
Taking a swipe at the ruling Congress government, Kumaraswamy told reporters on Thursday: “Yesterday’s developments and the way in which the House was conducted was disappointing.”
He added: “This government wanted to demolish the opposition parties. So, we have joined with BJP to work together on the floor against the Congress’ misdeeds.”
He also said: “The Opposition has petitioned the Governor on many issues, especially the way in which this government is being run.”
JD(S) leaders including Kumaraswamy and Holenarshipura MLA HD Revanna accompanied BJP leaders while submitting a petition to the Governor at the Raj Bhavan.
In an unprecedented development, Speaker UT Khader and Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani met the Governor at Raj Bhavan on Thursday even before the BJP and JD(S) leaders called on him.
Khader told reporters: “I and the deputy speaker met Gehlot and informed him about the developments in the House on Wednesday. I have also submitted a report in this regard.”
He added: “We also sought the Governor’s guidance for the smooth conduct of the House.”
Taking a dig at Khader for meeting the Governor, Bommai said: “The Speaker met the Governor today in a hurry, pre-empting the Opposition delegation meeting him. It is like taking anticipatory bail. Given the way he is speaking, it shows that he has realised his wrongdoing and is trying to cover it up.”
It may be recalled that chaos erupted in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday as furious BJP legislators resorted to unruly behaviour.
In a display of protest, the BJP MLAs tore copies of bills and the agenda and threw the papers at the deputy speaker, who was presiding over the session.
Khader took swift action and suspended 10 of these BJP legislators for the remainder of the session, citing their indecent and disrespectful conduct within the House.
Of the 10 suspended legislators, four are former ministers: CN Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, R Ashoka, and Araga Jnanendra.
In response to the suspension, members of the BJP and the JD(S) served a notice of no confidence against the Speaker to the assembly secretary.
The chaos began over the Congress government deploying 30 IAS officers to welcome its alliance leaders who had turned up to Bengaluru to take part in a two-day joint meeting of Opposition parties on 17 and 18 July.
This issue sparked protests from the BJP and JD(S) members, leading to disruptions and confrontations during the session.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar hit back at the BJP for the boycott and protests.
Siddaramaiah said in the House: “The BJP is anti-democracy. What should be called about the BJP’s behaviour in the house on Wednesday?”
He added: “The BJP should be called barbarians. I have never seen such uncivilised behaviour by the Opposition in the House.”
ಬಿಜೆಪಿಯವರು ಇಂತಹ ಎಷ್ಟೇ ಕೀಳು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಕೂಡ ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ಜನಪರವಾದ ನಿಲುವು ಮತ್ತು ಕಾಳಜಿಯಿಂದ ಕಿಂಚಿತ್ತೂ ವಿಚಲಿತರಾಗಲ್ಲ. ಅವರ ಆಟಾಟೋಪ, ಗೂಂಡಾಗಿರಿಗೆ ಹೆದರದೆ ನಾವು ನಂಬಿರುವ ತತ್ವ, ಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತದಡಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಇಂದು ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಶಾಸಕರು ಸಭಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಅಗೌರವ ತೋರಿರುವ ಘಟನೆಯನ್ನು ಖಂಡಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
ಇನ್ನು…— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 19, 2023
He further said: “The Deputy Speaker was visibly humiliated. I want to say on the floor of the house that we are with him. “If the marshals were not there, he would have been attacked by the Opposition.”
Reiterating that the Congress would perform well in Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Siddaramaiah said: “We are confident that we will win at least 20 seats in the general elections. People are jubilant with the guarantees we have given. The Opposition parties are not able to digest that the Opposition meet was held in Bengaluru. They are also not able to bear that we — the Opposition parties [against the BJP at the Centre] — united in the name of INDIA.”
Responding to the debate on the budget, Siddaramaiah said: “I have presented 14 budgets. It is the first time I am answering to the House where there is no Opposition.”
He added: “This is the time the budget session was held without an Opposition leader. Being a national party, the BJP has not been able to choose an Opposition leader. which is dangerous for democracy.”
Hitting out at the opposition for the boycott and protests, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar alleged that BJP leaders had resorted to hooliganism due to frustration and threw papers at a “Dalit Deputy Speaker” who was on the Chair on Wednesday.
“In a race to show themselves to their Delhi masters, they are resorting to all sorts of drama,” he added.
