Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 21: The Karnataka BJP has condemned the Congress-led government's decision to suspend 18 of its MLAs, alleging that they were suspended for demanding justice in the honey trap case involving cooperation minister K N Rajanna.
Opposition leader R Ashoka criticized the move, calling it condemnable and a reflection of the Congress party’s malicious intent.
Addressing reporters outside the Assembly, he stated that when minister Rajanna spoke about the honey trap scandal in the Assembly, neither the chief minister nor other Congress ministers objected to it. "In the past, Congress leaders created an uproar over legislators looking at mobile phones, but now they don’t find the honey trap case inappropriate," he said.
Ashoka stressed that the BJP had demanded a judicial inquiry to uphold the dignity of the Assembly. "Even when it was suggested that the honey trap scandal involved Congress leaders, the government remained silent," he alleged.
He questioned the actions of speaker U T Khader, stating, "How is it justifiable for the Speaker to take such extreme action? Suspending 18 MLAs is unjust. We did not misbehave with the Speaker; we only demanded justice. This is Congress’ malicious policy, and they are willing to go to any extent to suppress the opposition," he remarked.
BJP state president and MLA B Y Vijayendra called the suspension an anti-democratic move.
Speaking to the media, he pointed out that minister Rajanna had openly admitted in the Assembly that he was a victim of a honey trap and claimed that over 48 politicians across the country had been targeted similarly. He said that the chief minister, as the leader of the House, was responsible for ensuring the minister’s protection, while the Speaker had a duty to uphold the dignity of the Assembly.
"Now, all 224 MLAs have been tainted by this issue. Instead of protecting the dignity of the House, the Speaker has expelled us for raising concerns. This is unacceptable," Vijayendra said.
He accused the chief minister of failing to protect his ministers. "Instead of safeguarding them, you expelled our MLAs when we demanded action. This is not acceptable," he said.
Vijayendra alleged that the dignity of legislators had been compromised before the nation. "Congress is intoxicated with power. Corruption is rampant, and the internal power struggle for the chief minister’s post has led to ministers and MLAs being thrown onto the streets by their own government," he alleged.
He further questioned the chief minister’s commitment to protecting Dalit and Scheduled Caste ministers, recalling an earlier incident when Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's house was set on fire by rioters. "At that time, you did not stand by him. Now, history is repeating itself," he said.
He accused the government of focusing only on appeasement politics and questioned whether the chief minister should continue in office if he could not even protect his own ministers and legislators.
Vijayendra also demanded a full inquiry into the events in the Assembly. "Who passed the note yesterday? Let there be an investigation," he said, adding that the BJP and JD(S) would approach the governor over the issue.
The BJP leader called the suspension of MLAs a "murder of democracy" and said the honey trap controversy had become a national debate. He pointed out that minister Satish Jarkiholi himself had admitted that the scandal was real.
"The chief minister should have disclosed the names of MLAs and ministers involved in the honey trap case. He should have shown the courage to order an investigation. But he has failed," Vijayendra said.
In a major development, 18 BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly with immediate effect for allegedly showing disrespect to the Speaker's chair.
The suspension followed disruptions in the House, where BJP MLAs staged a protest demanding a judicial or CBI probe into the alleged honey trap attempt involving minister K N Rajanna.