High drama in Karnataka Council: Members get physical, deputy chairman pulled down
Bengaluru, Dec 15: The Karnataka Legislative Council witnessed high drama on Tuesday with members hurling abuses and pushing each other and Deputy Chairman S L Dharme Gowda being pulled down from the Chairman's seat over a row pertaining to the no-confidence motion.
Amid the pandemonium and chaos, which many senior members termed as a "black mark" and "unprecedented" in the House's century old history, it was adjourned sine-die within minutes after it met for the day.
After it was adjourned sine-die on December 10, the House was convened for a day on Tuesday by the government, which had even petitioned the Governor, accusing the Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty of "abruptly" adjourning the session, without taking up the no-confidence motion against him.
Though the no-confidence motion against Shetty moved by BJP members did not find mention in the Council's agenda for Tuesday as Shetty had rejected it citing procedural lapses and pointing out that no specific charges were made against him, ruling party members had been insisting that it be taken up.
BJP, with the support of JD(S), had planned to remove Shetty as the chairman through the no-confidence motion.
As the House met for the day, Gowda occupied the Chairman's seat even before Shetty arrived and the quorum bell still ringing, which angered Congress MLCs who rushed to the well demanding that he vacate it, as he would have allowed the no-confidence motion against Shetty.
Following this, BJP and JD(S) members too rushed towards the Chair in his defence.
This resulted in a heated exchange of words and much jostling between members from both sides.
Some Congress members,including Naseer Ahmed, were seen trying to forcefully open the door through which the Chairman enters the house, accusing the ruling side of shutting it with an intention not to allow Shetty inside.
Congress members accused the government of trying to start proceedings even before the Chairman could come,with the help of Gowda, with an intention to take up the no-confidence motion against Shetty, which has been rejected by him.
BJP and JD(S) members argued that the Deputy Chairman has the right to conduct the proceedings as the no-confidence was against the Chairman.
Following this, some Congress MLCs, including M Narayanaswamy and Naseer Ahmed forcefully pulled down the Deputy Chairman from the seat.
Several members and marshals of the council were also allegedly manhandled in the melee, even as Congress managed to make one of its members occupy the chair until Shetty arrived in the House, and the party MLCs stood guard around the seat.
Several BJP and JD(S) members objected to this and questioned whether the person sitting on the Chair was among the panel who could occupy it.
After some time Chairman Pratapachandra Shetty entered the house and managed to go up to the chair, from where he announced that the house was adjourned sine die.
The BJP and JD(S) have decided to petition the Governor against the Chairman and on the developments today.
Senior Ministers also went into a huddle with JD(S) leaders and the Deputy Chairman on the next course of action.
Terming the Chairman's act of adjourning the house sine- die as unlawful, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters outside the council hall that "he (Shetty) cannot do it as there is no-confidence against him.
...We will go to the Governor who is the custodian of both houses," he said.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said the Chairman has no right, as it has been fourteen plus five days since no-confidence notice has been sent, adding, as Shetty cannot run the House, the Deputy Chairman was requested to occupy the Chair.
"...We had last night itself written to the Chairman, requesting him not to conduct the proceedings of the House as the no-confidence motion against him has to be taken up.
We had also requested the Deputy Chairman to conduct the proceedings," he said.
Leader of the opposition in the Council S R Patil alleged that the Deputy Chairman occupied the chair against the rules and procedures and it was against the Constitution.
Senior JD(S) MLC Basavaraj Horatti said as the no- confidence motion was against the Chairman and he has lost the support of majority of members, on the government's insistence the Deputy Chairman occupied the Chair.
He termed as 'shameful,' the developments in the 113 year-old council's history.
With the House being adjourned sine-die,other subjects in the agenda,including the contentious anti cow slaughter bill passed by the assembly, were not taken up.
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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.
