COVID-19 test mandatory for attending Karnataka assembly session from Sept 21: Speaker
Bengaluru: Undergoing RT-PCR test for COVID-19 infection 72 hours prior to the start of the monsoon session from September 21 is mandatory for all those attending it, Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said on Tuesday.
Only if a person tests negative in the test and on the basis of the certificate issued would he or she be allowed to attend the session or cover it, the Speaker was quoted as saying by the state information department in a release.
The Monsoon session of the legislature will be held from September 21 to 30 at the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature here.
Keeping the health of everyone in mind, several precautionary measures have been taken in the wake of the pandemic, Kageri said, adding that the public would not be allowed to watch the proceedings this time.
Those who have already undergone COVID test and also those who have recovered should once again undergo the test after September 18 and only if it is confirmed negative would they be allowed to enter the assembly, he said, adding there would be no concession on this.
"Undergoing the test on September 18 and producing COVID negative certificate is mandatory, even for legislature staff, officials and media personnel too, and only then they will be allowed to enter their designated place in the assembly," the release clarified.
The assembly premises and surrounding areas would be sanitised and cleaned regularly, and all those attending will be let in only after their body temperature is checked, the Speaker said.
"For the benefit of everyone, it is our duty to follow all precautionary measures and no one should unnecessarily try to find fault in it or think otherwise," he said
All the members attending the assembly would be provided with sanitisers, masks and face shields, Kageri said.
During this session- 10 bills for tabling, 19 ordinances for consideration and two bills for passage- have been mentioned in the session agenda, and opportunity will be there to discuss on about 31 subjects, the Speaker said.
The Press gallery has been shifted to the visitors gallery and all necessary arrangements for media personnel would be made there, he said, as he sought cooperation from everyone.
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Power struggle in ruling Cong has 'created massive confusion' in Karnataka: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday claimed that the ongoing power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar has created massive confusion in Karnataka.
He remarked that the proverb “when two people fight, the third one benefits” has come true, as AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge is also now making efforts to become Chief Minister.
Speaking to reporters here, Ashoka said the entire government has turned into a house of confusion due to the alleged power tussle.
Kharge’s new statement has only added to the chaos, he said.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had on Friday said that no date has been fixed yet to discuss possible leadership change in Karnataka.
This came a day after Kharge said there was no change of CM in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state would be resolved soon.
The BJP leader said that Kharge too has aspirations and that he was cheated earlier.
"Perhaps he has received a green signal from the Congress high command to become CM. Everyone is already saying Kharge should become CM. Kharge himself has declared, “I am ready to become CM.” Despite many attempts in the past, he never became CM. Now he is trying to seize the opportunity," the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly said.
According to him, the situation in Congress has perfectly become a case of “two people fighting, third one benefits.”
