Bangalore: Goolihatti Shekhar Evicted from Assembly; Suspended for the Day

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Feb 3: Former Minister and Independent member Goolihatti D Shekhar was evicted from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and suspended from the House for the day on Friday for addressing Speaker K G Bopaiah as ``tainted speaker.”

The Speaker ordered the Assembly Marshal to evict Shekhar as he continued on his feet to raise the issue on which he had given a notice during zero hour.

While being escorted by the Marshal out of the House, the member waved black cloth to register his protest.

The ruling BJP members demanded suspension of Shekhar, when he addressed the Speaker as “tainted.”

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar said the Independent member has shown disrespect to the Speaker by calling him as “tainted.”

An annoyed Bopaiah objected to the conduct of the member and asked Suresh Kumar to a move motion to name the member, which the Minister obliged under the Rules of Business of the House.

Congress members U T Khader and Sayed Yasin objected to the Speaker’s decision and said Shekhar being a duly elected representative of the people of his constituency had every right to speak in the House.

The Congress members and Independents have been demanding the resignation of the Speaker following the Supreme Court’s observations against him in the disqualification of Independent MLAs in October 2010.

The Apex Court had held that the Speaker’s decision to disqualify MLAs was “unconstitutional and partisan” aimed at safeguarding the former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.