Cong MLAs protest in Assembly seeking action against BJP legislator for remarks on Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has witnessed chaotic scenes, with ruling Congress MLAs trooping into the well of the House, demanding the Speaker take action against BJP MLA Munirathna, accusing him of inappropriate behaviour and making personal comments against Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
The incident occurred on Thursday while Shivakumar was replying to a discussion on issues relating to Bengaluru. Shivakumar is also the Minister in-charge of Bengaluru Development.
As Munirathna made certain comments on Shivakumar, demanding answers to some of the issues raised by him concerning the city, Congress members took strong objection to it, calling it "inappropriate behaviour".
Munirathna demanded that Shivakumar answer his question, making remarks against the latter, even after Speaker U T Khader declared the discussion on Bengaluru closed and proceeded to the Question Hour. This further enraged Congress MLAs.
Congress legislators demanded that the Chair expel Munirathna from the House.
The ruling party MLAs then trooped into the well of the House, demanding that the Chair give its ruling and announce action against Munirathna by expelling him.
As the chaos continued, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka urged the Speaker to end the stalemate by ensuring that Munirathna gets a reply to the issues on which he is demanding answers, through officers, and expunge certain inappropriate comments that were made.
However, Congress members demanded that Munirathna apologise or that the Speaker suspend him.
Khader, while expunging the comments made during the exchange, said, "Karnataka is not known for revenge politics, but humanity and harmony. This is the tradition of this House. We must uphold the honour and decorum of the House. This is not a place to display power or indulge in personal attacks."
Warning strict action against any act of indiscipline, he said, "We should ensure that such things don't repeat."
He said the Chair can give a ruling expelling or suspending a member only when the government names him or her.
Following the Speaker's warning against any act of misconduct and a request to them, Congress members withdrew their protest.
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar and Munirathna engaged in a verbal altercation after the former referred to cases against the MLA, which the Speaker had expunged from the records.
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Rapper-turned-politician 'Balen' sworn in as Nepal's 47th PM
Kathmandu (PTI): Rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah 'Balen,' took oath as Nepal's democratically elected prime minister on Friday, around six months after the K P Sharma Oli-led government was ousted in a Gen-Z protest that shook the nation.
The 35-year-old Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader was sworn in by President Ram Chandra Paudel at a ceremony at the President's Office in Sheetal Niwas at the auspicious time of 12.34 pm.
Balen, the former mayor of Kathmandu, is the youngest person to be democratically elected to the office in the Himalayan nation, and also the first person from the Madhes region to hold the top executive post.
A unique blend of Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions featured in his swearing-in ceremony. It comprised elaborate religious rituals, including Shankhanad (conch blowing) by seven brahmins, recitation of Vedic hymns or Swasti Bachan by 108 Hindu Batuks or young brahmins and Mangal Bachan or recitation of Buddhist scripture by 107 Lamas.
Earlier in the day, Balen was appointed as the 47th Prime Minister by President Ram Chandra Paudel in accordance with Article 76(1) of the Constitution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted Shah on becoming Nepal’s PM. Modi said he was looking forward to working closely with Shah to take forward India-Nepal ties.
“Your appointment reflects the trust reposed in your leadership by the people of Nepal. I look forward to working closely with you to take India-Nepal friendship and cooperation to even greater heights for the mutual benefit of our two peoples,” PM Modi posted on X.
Nepal is important for India in the context of its overall strategic interests in the region, and leaders of the two countries have often noted the age-old "Roti Beti" relationship.
Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. Nepal's access to the sea is through India, and it imports a predominant proportion of its requirements from and through India.
Balen is the first democratically elected prime minister to be sworn in since the coalition government led by former prime minister Oli was ousted in September last year, following the youth-led Gen Z protest against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban that escalated into violence.
Following Oli's ouster, former chief justice Sushila Karki took charge as the interim prime minister on the recommendation of the Gen Z group.
Balen was a popular choice to lead the interim government, but declined, saying he would rather head the government by contesting the parliamentary election for a full term.
“Congratulations to the newly appointed Prime Minister, Balendra Shah. I feel all the more elated that a 35-year-old young man is my successor. I extend my best wishes to him. I wish him success in pushing forward the people's mandate with vigour and rigour,” Karki posted on X after the ceremony.
Apart from Balen, other ministers also took the oath at the ceremony on Friday.
Swarnim Wagle took the oath as the Minister of Finance, Shisir Khanal as Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Sudan Gurung as Minister for Home Affairs.
Balen will hold the portfolios of the Defence Ministry and the Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ministry.
Biraj Bhakta Shrestha will oversee the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, and Bikram Timilsina will serve as Minister for Communications and Information Technology.
Pratibha Rawal was appointed Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Ganesh Paudel as Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, and Sunil Lamsal as Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
Similarly, Gita Chaudhary took oath as Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister, Sasmit Pokharel as Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Nisha Mehata as Minister for Health and Population, Sita Badi as Minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, and Sobita Gautam as Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs.
In the March 5 general elections, Balen defeated four-time prime minister Sharma Oli by a huge margin in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
The RSP won a landslide victory in the March 5 poll, securing a massive 182 seats out of the total 275 seats in the House of Representatives (HoR), making it eligible to form a majority government.
Balen and the RSP tsunami almost wiped out the traditional parties, with the Nepali Congress winning only 38 seats, followed by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) with 25, and the Nepali Communist Party getting only 17 seats.
Balen is the youngest democratically elected prime minister of the Himalayan nation. Before him, a few young leaders were nominated or appointed, but they were not democratically elected.
Like Tulsi Giri, who was nominated in 1963 as the chair of the council of ministers, a position that was equivalent to that of prime minister by the then-king, was around 37 years old when he took charge.
Significantly, he was not elected but nominated by King Mahendra Shah.
