State Assembly Session Curtailed Amid Suspension Threats to MLAs

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Jan 13: The current Karnataka Legislative Assembly, which came into being in the May 2008 elections, threatens to become the most controversial as also historical in a dubious sense.

For, it is during the current assembly that BJP’s chief minister B S Yeddyurappa faced and passed as many as three floor tests in less than two and half years and also witnessed the disqualification of as many as 16 MLAs, including 11 from the ruling BJP and 5 Independents.

And, now, even as the disqualification of the MLAs is pending before the Supreme Court and the Karnataka High Court, the ruling party is embarking on yet another controversial move to get as many as 15 MLAs of the opposition Congress and JD(S) suspended. Another 4 MLAs are likely to be suspended for the rest of the term or till May 2013, if they created trouble in future.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the ruling party musters the courage to carry out its plan to get the opposition MLAs suspended.

In the event of the Yeddyurappa regime goes ahead with the plans to got the opposition MLAs suspended, it is obvious that the ruling party would be safe even if the apex court were to quash the disqualifications. Though technically the final decision on the suspension of the MLAs is left to the prerogative of the Speaker K G Bopaiah, it is obvious that the chief minister will have to take the final call.

Assembly adjourned sine die

The Yeddyurappa regime, which had convened the legislature session on January 6 for 10 days, has abruptly curtailed it in barely six days after getting the motion of thanks to the address of Governor H R Bhardwaj to the joint session and also obtaining approval to as many as six crucial legislative bills by voice vote even as the opposition Congress and JD(S) kept on resisting the government.

As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members continued their dharna for the fourth consecutive day demanding acceptance of its adjournment notice to discuss alleged land scams and corruption. Amidst dharna, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah opposed tabling of a report of the Appachu Ranjan Committee.

Sharana Prakash Patil (Congress) sought to move a breach of privilege notice against Ranjan for leaking the report before tabling it in the Assembly. Patil urged the Speaker to refer the report to the privileges committee and postpone the tabling of the report. But the Speaker rejected Congress member’s plea and allowed Ranjan to table the report.

The legislative assembly panel headed by BJP member Appachu Ranjan, in its report into the unruly scenes in the House during the trust vote on October 11, 2010, has recommended suspension of 15 Congress and JD(S) MLAs from the membership of the House.

The panel recommended suspension of the membership 8 MLAs for a year and 7 MLAs for six months for indiscipline, indulging in unruly behaviour by throwing all rules and procedures to the winds, showing disrespect to the Speaker and curbing the rights of other members.

Amidst the dharna and walkout by the entire Opposition on Thursday, the committee headed by Appachu Ranjan, tabled the 287-page report in the House.

The speaker ignored a plea made by the Opposition that the report should not be allowed to be tabled since its recommendations have already been leaked. 

Suspension of 8 for 1 year; 7 for 6 months

The panel recommended suspension of membership of Rahim Khan, Kakaso Panduranga Patil, U T Khader, N A Harris, (all Congress) B.Z. Zameer Ahmed, H.C. Balakrishna, C S Puttaraju, M T Krishnappa (all JD-S), for one year.

It recommended suspension of membership of B K Sangamesh, Suresh Gowda, P M Ashok, H P Manjunath,  (all Congress), Bandeppa Kashempur, K Raju, K P Bache Gowda (all JD-S) for six months.

Bopaiah had constituted the seven-member panel to submit the report recommending suitable action against 15 Opposition MLAs (Congress – 8 and JD(S) – 7), who have been identified for all the ruckus in the Assembly during the October 11 trust vote.

Later, Sunil Hegde of JD (S), Rajashekar Basavaraj Patil and H Gopal Bhandari of the Congress resigned from the panel on October 28, 2010.

The panel recommended to the Speaker that 15 MLA should not be allowed to enter the Vidhana Soudha (Secretariat), the Legislators’ Home (LH) and to be declared ineligible to obtain allowances during the suspension period.

The report said pandemonium prevailed in the House when Yeddyurappa moved a trust motion with Opposition MLAs hurling abuses, standing on desks and getting into a scuffle with marshals.
Action sought against MLCs for entering Assembly

The panel noticed that a few MLCs and former MLAs too entered the Assembly and curbed the rights of members and lowered the dignity of the House. It suggested to the Speaker to write to the Council Chairman to take action against such MLCs.

The panel recommended the Speaker to direct the police to take action against those entered the House who were neither MLAs nor MLCs. Disqualified MLAs too had entered the House, it said.

To ensure safety of members and to uphold respect and dignity of members during the session, the panel recommended necessity of directing the police to take suitable action.

It recommended to the Information and Publicity Department to take the departmental action against staff for the failure to capture session proceedings on CCTV cameras and dereliction of duty.

Suspension of another 4 MLAs if they cause trouble

Meanwhile, another legislative assembly committee headed by first-time BJP member Dr Hemachandra Sagar, to probe into the unruly scenes witnessed during the election of Speaker on December 30, 2009, has recommended suspension of Assembly membership of 4 opposition MLAs for rest of term if they jumped onto the Speaker’s podium and disturb the official business in the future.

The panel said former minister and JD-S MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rahim Khan and Panduranga Kaka Sab (both Congress), and H C Balakrishna of the JD (S) and others jumped onto the Speaker’s podium, pulled the microphone and manhandled N Yogesh Bhat who was presiding over the proceedings on December 30, 2009, when the house took up the agenda of election of Speaker.

In the midst of the unprecedented unruly scenes, K G Bopaiah, the then Deputy Speaker was declared elected as the Speaker.

The panel condemned action of four members and termed the unruly scenes as “unfortunate” as such incidents lower the dignity of the House.

The panel recommended constitution of an Ethics Committee by amending rules concerned to ensure discipline among members during the session.

Members have every right to draw the attention of the Government by rushing into well of the house but such protest should not be more than 2-3 minutes, which would disturb the proceedings of the House.

In the case of protests more than the stipulated time, the matter should be referred to the ethics committee, it said.