Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jan 14: Puttanna, deputy chairman of the state legislative council, was ousted from his position in the midst of protests and sloganeering from the opposition parties, on Thursday January 13. The no confidence motion, moved as per section 183 of the Indian Constitution by ruling party members, D S Veeraiah and Doddarange Gowda, was passed by the council through counting of votes. Puttanna, a JDS member, is the first in the history of the state to have been ousted in this fashion.

At the time the motion was put to vote, most of the opposition members, who had joined the dharna being held against the government in front of the statue of Kengal Hanumanthaihah, had not returned to their seats. While five opposition members were on dharna in the house, Veeranna Mattikatti, K C Kondaiah and R S Patil of the Congress, were shouting slogans against the government, by standing near their seats.

The chairman, D H Shankaramurty, who asked people in favour of the motion to stand up, instructed the council secretary to count the people who were standing in favour of the motion. The chairman warned the opposition members, who were standing in their seats, that they too would be considered as supporting the motion, if they do not sit. Mattikatti, Kondaiah and Patil demanded for an opportunity to hold a debate on the motion before putting it to vote.

After counting the people standing at the time, the chairman said that 28 persons were in favour of the motion, and therefore, declared the motion as having been passed. He said he would take further steps as per legal provisions. Although only 25 BJP members were present in the house at the time, the three standing Congress members were also counted as supporters of this motion.

In the 75-member house, BJP has a strength of 39, while the Congress and the JDS have 17 and 15 members respectively.