Congress boycotts Karnataka assembly proceedings to protest passage of anti-cow slaughter bill
Bengaluru, Dec 10: Opposition Congress in Karnataka boycotted the proceedings of the legislative assembly on Thursday, the last day of the winter session, in protest against the introduction and passage of the anti-cow slaughter bill, despite repeated request by the Speaker to participate.
The controversial Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020, was passed in the assembly on Wednesday amid protests by the Opposition.
Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah on Wednesday had announced that Congress will boycott the assembly session on Thursday in protest, terming it as an 'anti-democratic act.'
Congress MLAs participated in the legislature party meeting instead of attending the assembly proceedings today.
As the Congress members were not present in the assembly when the House met for the day, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri made an appeal to them to participate.
"Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and Congress legislators had yesterday announced that they will boycott the assembly proceedings today and none of them are participating today.
I appeal to them to participate in the proceedings," Kageri said.
Addressing from the Chair, he said the leader of opposition has spoken a couple of things about him regarding the passage of the cow slaughter bill, and clarified that he has conducted the house within the framework of set rules and procedures.
Siddaramaiah and Congress had on Wednesday accused the Speaker of conducting proceedings in a 'partisan' manner by allowing the introduction and passage of the bill.
He said it was against the decision of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) and the subject was not even mentioned in the day's agenda.
At the BAC meeting it was clearly discussed and decided that ordinance and important bills can be taken up, the Speaker pointed out as he read out his statement made to this effect by him in the House on Tuesday.
"... so it is not right to say things were against the BAC decision."
He also pointed out that the bill was mentioned in the supplementary agenda on Wednesday, before it was tabled and passed, also the copy of the bill was circulated among members.
"So alleging that the bill was introduced and passed without bringing to the notice of the house in advance, was not right."
Kageri also rejected the LoP's charge that the bill was passed without discussion, by stating that several members from the ruling side expressed their opinion about the bill, following which he repeatedly asked protesting Congress members to participate in the discussion.
"They not participating despite repeated requests is not my responsibility."
Conceding that though it was not mentioned in specific at the BAC that the anti cow slaughter bill will be taken up, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said however, it was made clear that a couple of important bills will be introduced during the session.
He said only after realising that the legislative council will also be adjourned sine die on Thursday, the cow slaughter bill was introduced in the assembly, with an intention to get it passed in both the houses during the same session.
"During the last sessions some bills passed by the assembly got held up in the council without getting passed and we (government) had to promulgate an ordinance.
It looks as though we are only promulgating ordinances.
Governor also had questioned," he said, as he asked the Congress legislators to participate in the proceedings and debate on the BBMP bill.
Minister R Ashoka hit out at Congress for making allegations on the chair and the government, pointing to its conduct in the past while in power.
He said the cow slaughter bill was on our agenda, we had nothing to hide in it, and Congress cannot dictate terms on how to conduct the House.
The Speaker then adjourned the House for some time to make efforts to convince the opposition leader and Congress MLAs to get back to the House.
When the House resumed, as the Congress legislators did not participate in the proceedings, citing that the legislature party meeting was on, the Speaker continued with the proceedings.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
