Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, May 18: Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala on Friday May 18 appointed BJP MLA-elect from Virajpet constituency K G Bopaiah as the pro-tem speaker for the floor test in the Karnataka assembly scheduled to be held at 4 pm on Saturday May 19.

K G Bopaiah was the speaker of the Karnataka assembly from 2009 to 2013. A three-time legislator, he was a pro-tem speaker even in 2008.

Bopaiah took oath as the pro-tem speaker in the presence of governor Vala soon after his appointment.

The Congress meanwhile strongly objected to the appointment, stating that as per convention, the seniormost member of the assembly should be the pro-tem speaker, in this case R V Deshpande of Congress.

"What the BJP has done is against the rulebook. Ideally, the senior most leader is supposed to hold that position," said Abhishek Manu Singhvi in a press conference in New Delhi.

Singhvi also said that the Congress may approach the SC to protest against the appointment.

Criticising the decision, Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted: "Shocking decision by the Hon’ble Governor..Constitutional Convention says the seniormost,in this case RV Deshpande should’ve been named. Also Supreme Court had passed structures against the conduct of KG Bopiah as Speaker. Sad to see Vajubhai Valaji behaving like an agent of BJP (sic)."

However, BJP dismissed the Congress' claims and said that the pro-tem speaker was appointed as per rules. "K G Bopaiah was appointed as pro-tem speaker even in 2008 by the then governor. That time Bopaiah was 10 years younger than what he is today. Congress is thus raising hoax objection," said union minister Prakash Javadekar.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court after a high-pitched drama cut down the 15-day time given to the BJP to prove majority to just over 24 hours. It also ordered chief minister Yeddyurappa not to pass any policy decision till then. The SC had also directed the governor to appoint a pro-tem speaker to oversee the floor test.

Bopaiah had been at the centre of a storm back in 2010 when the Yeddyurappa-led BJP government was in power in the state. Known to be a trusted ally of Yeddyurappa, Bopaiah had disqualified 11 rebel BJP MLAs and 5 independents who had objected to the Yeddyurappa government over the illegal mining scam. This had allowed the BJP government to survive.

The Supreme Court too had taken Bopaiah to task for the manner in which he had conducted the trust vote. The SC had then quashed his decision and said that he should not have disqualified the MLAs simply because they were against the Yeddyurappa government.

The SC had said, "There was no compulsion on the Speaker to decide the Disqualification Application filed by Mr Yeddyurappa in such a great hurry within the time specified by the Governor to the Speaker to conduct a Vote of Confidence in the Government headed by Mr Yeddyurappa. It would appear that such a course of action was adopted by the Speaker on October 10, 2010, since the Vote of Confidence on the Floor of the House was slated for October 12, 2010.

"The element of hot haste is also evident in the action of the Speaker in this regard as well. The procedure adopted by the Speaker seems to indicate that he was trying to meet the time schedule set by the Governor for the trial of strength in the Assembly and to ensure that the Appellants and the other independent MLAs stood disqualified prior to the date on which the Floor Test was to be held."