Cong Too Boycotts Session - for One Day, to Decide Later
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jun 3: With the second opposition party, JD(S), boycotting both houses of the Legislature protesting against the refusal of the Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah to resign over the Supreme Court’s remarks while quashing the disqualification of the 16 MLAs, the principal opposition Congress party too boycotted the sittings in the lower house.
However, as of now, the boycott will be just for today’s sitting in the assembly. It was announced after Speaker Bopaiah disallowed the adjournment motion sought to be moved by the Congress party to debate the situation arising out of the observations made by the Supreme Court while quashing his order disqualifying 11 BJP 'rebel’ and 5 Independent MLAs.
The Congress legislature party, however, is yet to take a decision on whether to boycott the rest of the session too like JD(S) or continue its protest inside the House, when it meets after the weekend on Monday.
''We will meet again and elicit the views of all legislators to decide on the further course of action and whether to boycott the rest of the session," Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah announced.
All the Congress members in the Assembly had staged a walk-out on Thursday, the opening day of the brief 10-session, after Bopaiah declined permission to the Opposition leader Siddaramaiah to make preliminary submissions. They kept off from the house for rest of the day.
Congress legislators continued consultations at their Legislature Party meeting on whether to boycott the entire extended budget session, but could not arrive at a decision.
The Congress members in the Legislative Council, however, participated in the session in the upper house and moved an adjournment motion over observations made by the Supreme Court against the Chief Minister in the MLAs’ disqualification case.
Unmindful of the Opposition’s absence, the state assembly went ahead with the schedfuled official business, including debate on demands for grants pertaining to three departments with ruling BJP members C T Ravi, Narasimha Naik and other taking part.
Three Legislative Bills - The Karnataka Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2011, The Karnataka State Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and The Karnataka State Innovative Universities Bill, 2011 - were introduced in the assembly.
Incidentally, the Chief Minister has already left for Lucknow to attend the BJP national conclave.
Both houses of the state legislature will be resuming their sittings on Monday.