Karnataka Speaker suspends 10 BJP MLAs amid chaotic scenes; Opposition plans no-trust motion

Earlier, the Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes with the BJP members tearing copies of Bills and agenda papers, and hurling them at the Chair.

The members were protesting against the government’s alleged misuse of IAS officers for organising a meeting of anti-NDA political parties in Bengaluru on 17 and 18 July.

They also expressed displeasure over the Speaker’s decision to continue the proceedings without a lunch break.

Even as the BJP and JD(S) members protested, the House passed five Bills without discussions.

Related: JD(S) accuses Congress of misusing government machinery

High drama 

Dr CN Ashwath Narayan (Malleswaram) , V Sunil Kumar (Karkal), R Ashoka (Padmanabanagar), Araga Jnanendra (Teertahalli), D Vedavyasa Kamath (Mangaluru City South), Yashpal Suvarna (Udupi), Dheeraj Muniraj (Doddaballapur), A Umanath Kotian (Moddabidri), Arvind Bellad (Hubballi-Dharwad West), and Y Bharath Shetty (Mangaluru) were the suspended legislators.

Expressing disappointment, the Chair said he was naming the 10 MLAs “because of their indecent and disrespectful conduct”.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil proposed that the 10 members be suspended from the Karnataka Assembly for the remainder of the session under Section 348 of the Karnataka Assembly Rules of Procedure and that they should be barred from entering the House.

After putting the motion to vote, the Chair announced the suspension of the MLAs. The marshals forcefully evicted the MLAs after they refused to leave.

Condemning the suspension, BJP MLAs — including former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Aravind Bellad, and Sunil Kumar — staged a protest in front of the Speaker’s officer.

Bommai termed the developments a black day in the history of the House.

While protesting, Yatnal fainted due to fluctuations in blood pressure and was shifted to a hospital, where he recovered.

Related: Opposition forms Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance

ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು ನಿಮಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅರ್ಹತೆ, ನೈತಿಕತೆ ಇಲ್ಲ.

🎯 ಭಾರತದ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಕಗ್ಗೊಲೆ ಮಾಡಿದ ಕುಖ್ಯಾತಿ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ್ದು.

🎯 ಭಾರತದ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವವನ್ನು ವಿದೇಶಿ ನೆಲದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತು ಪ್ರಶ್ನಿಸಿದ್ದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಅನರ್ಹ ‘ನಾಯಕ’.

🎯 ಸದನದ ಸ್ಪೀಕರ್ ಹಾಗೂ ಸರಕಾರದ ಉನ್ನತ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳ ವಿಶೇಷಾಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನು… https://t.co/6Nk4z6dB9d

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) July 19, 2023

Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani was in the Chair when the pandemonium broke out.

Earlier, Speaker Khader had announced that the House would not break for lunch and discussions on the Budget and demands would continue. He allowed members to have lunch and return for discussions if they wished.

However, the BJP and JD(S) members protested from the Well, accusing the Congress government of deploying 30 IAS officers to attend to its alliance leaders who were in the city for meetings related to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

After the Chair announced that the House would not break for lunch, the BJP members went into a huddle.

Unruly scenes followed with the BJP members throwing papers at the Chair, and demanding to know the rule under which the recess was cancelled.

As they continued throwing papers at the Deputy Speaker, marshals threw a protective ring around the Chair.

Also read: Bengaluru terror attack foiled; 5 radicalised by LeT operative held

Chief minister refutes charges

Besides condemning the behaviour of the BJP members in the House, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state government had not misused any IAS officers and followed due protocol as all the leaders were considered as state guests.

“The BJP has shown disrespect to the House. It is the representative body of the progressive legacy of democratic values of great personalities like Dr BR Ambedkar, Basavanna, Buddha and others,” the chief minister said.

“The BJP was allowed to protest in a democratic manner and under the rules of the House. But throwing papers at the Speaker is illegal. Is it not uncivilised behaviour?” he asked.

ಬಿಜೆಪಿಗೆ ಈ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರಲು ಅನರ್ಹ.

ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷದ ನಾಯಕನನ್ನು ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸಾಂವಿಧಾನಿಕ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಅಪಹಾಸ್ಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ.

ಈಗ ಸ್ಪೀಕರ್ ಮುಖದ ಮೇಲೆ ಪೇಪರ್ ಎಸೆದು ಸದನದ ಸಭಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರ ಘನತೆಗೆ ಚ್ಯುತಿ ತಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಸದನದೊಳಗೆ ಗೂಂಡಾಗಿರಿ ನಡೆಸುವ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ರೌಡಿ ಮೋರ್ಚಾದ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯನ್ನು…

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) July 19, 2023

Drawing attention to previous instances of IAS officers being deputed to welcome political leaders, Siddaramaiah said: “During the swearing-in ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy, IAS officers were also made licensing officers. Did they forget it?”

He added: “When the late former Union minister Ananth Kumar requested me to declare BJP national leaders arriving for the party’s executive meeting as state guests, I obliged. The BJP knew this but lied and staged a fake protest drama. We have treated the BJP’s national leaders the same way.”

He also said: “The BJP leaders have misbehaved with the Speaker disgustingly and inhumanly. We were also in the Opposition. Is there any single example of such nasty behaviour from our side?”

Siddaramaiah added that he believed in a meaningful Opposition in a democratic system.

Also read: Sonia, Mamata share moments together during Opposition meet

No-confidence notice against Speaker    

Later, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) MLAs submitted a no-confidence notice against the Speaker to the Assembly Secretary.

Former chief ministers Basavaraj Bommai and HD Kumaraswamy were among those who signed the notice.

The notice said that the Speaker, who was elected by all the members, had lost the trust of the House.

It sought an opportunity to move a motion for his removal by rule 169 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

The BJP members also raised concerns about Speaker Khader’s participation in a dinner hosted by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for Opposition leaders on Monday.

Later, leading the protest outside the Speaker’s office, Bommai alleged that a Principal Secretary was assigned to welcome political leaders.

He said it sidelined important issues such as drought and drinking water problems. “The government assigned an IAS officer to a political event instead of focusing on crucial matters,” he said.

Bommai accused the current ruling party of engaging in vendetta politics ever since it assumed power.

“The democracy is being massacred, and the Speaker’s chair is being misused for such purposes,” he said.

The former chief minister denounced the suspension of 10 MLAs, saying it was a move to cover up the government’s misconduct and to stifle the Opposition.