'No Strictures, Won't Resign,' says Speaker

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jun 1: With Karnataka Legislative Assembly scheduled to commence its budget session from Thursday (June 2), Speaker K G Bopaiah declared that there was no question of his resigning as the Supreme Court had not passed any strictures about his functioning during the vote of confidence in the House on October 11 last year.

The Supreme Court, in its judgement delivered on May 13, had quashed the Speaker’s decision of disqualifying 11 BJP `rebel’ MLAs and 5 Independent MLAs ahead of the trust vote, which helped in the survival of the Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj had in his special report submitted to the Centre on May 15 through a special emissary recommended dismissal of the Yeddyurappa-led BJP ministry and imposition of President’s rule in the state. However, the Congress-led UPA regime, after considerable dilly-dallying, had finally decided to reject the report but had sent an advisory to the Yeddyurpapa ministry to ensure that constitutional norms were maintained.

The Governor, who had not acted on the state cabinet’s resolution taken on May 13 morning hours before the apex court’s verdict for summoning the legislature session from May 16, had dithered on the state cabinet’s subsequent resolution for convening the legislature session from June 2 and was finally forced to concede the demand after the Centre rejected his recommendation for clamping President’s rule in the State.

Opposition Congress and JD(S) leaders, however, contended that after the Supreme Court passed “strictures” against the Speaker, the latter had no moral right to continue in office. They said the apex court, in its order, had also referred to “how the Chief Minister used the Speaker” to manipulate the vote of confidence on October 11, 2010, to save his government and demanded that he too quit office.

While the JD(S) legislators had decided to boycott the session, the Congress MLAs would be taking their decision on Thursday morning. However, informed sources said the Congressmen might attend the session and try their best to put the Government on the mat.

Bopaiah said, the 10-day extended Budget session would commence from Thursday and may go up to June 15 barring any extensions, if the situation warranted.

A total of nine Bills would be tabled during the session, he said.

The major bills coming up before the session are: The Karnataka Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2007; The Karnataka Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointment) (Amendment) Bill, 2001; The Karnataka State Innovative Universities Bill, 2011; The Karnataka Regulation and Control of Stone Crushers Bill, 2011; The Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2011; and The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2011.