Karnataka Home Minister assures efforts to end deadlock over assembly coverage
Bengaluru, Oct 17: Amid continuing boycott by the electronic media of the state government and ruling BJP events over alleged restrictions on Karnataka assembly coverage, state Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said efforts would be made to end the 'deadlock' soon.
Government cannot function without publicity from the media, we too have our concern with you (media) on the issue on certain matters... we will make all efforts to end the deadlock as soon as possible, Bommai told reporters here.
He was responding to journalists from Kannada news channels who raised the issue at a press conference addressed by him and Sugar Minister C T Ravi and said they would not be able to cover the news conference until there was a solution.
The journalists highlighted that restrictions were not limited to the assembly alone but also near the Chief Ministers residence and at certain government functions.
Why should electronic media cooperate with BJP? When you are not cooperating with us, how can you expect cooperation from us, a senior TV journalist asked.
During the recent brief session of the assembly, only the Doordarshan was allowed to telecast the proceedings by Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri.
An order issued by the Assembly Secretariat had said private news channels can take the DD feed if they wish to show the House proceedings.
The matter kicked up a storm with the media and opposition accusing the government of 'restricting' private channels from covering the proceedings.
Journalists and camerapersons had staged a demonstration condemning the decision of the Speaker while Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah had said restriction of media was fatal for democracy.
Minister Ravi said the assembly came under the purview of the Speaker and not under the direct control of the government. "We have understood your feeling and we will talk to the Speaker in our personal capacities. As a party we are with the sentiments of the press."
Hitting out at opposition parties over their stand on the issue, Ravi said Some of our opposition friends speak one thing in private and other in public. I have heard many of them saying that the move is right, but publicly saying it is like emergency."
He also pointed out to the Speakers statement saying the move was on pilot basis for three day session and any further implementation will be after due consultation.
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Uttarakhand Assembly passes censure motion against opposition over women's reservation bill
Dehradun (PTI): The Uttarakhand Assembly passed a censure motion against the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday for allegedly blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament.
The motion, which expressed the House's formal disapproval of the opposition's conduct, triggered a massive uproar by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House sine die.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal moved the censure motion, citing the "uncooperative attitude" of opposition parties toward the bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Addressing a special daylong session convened specifically to discuss "Nari Samman -- Rights in Democracy", Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the bill's passage would have benefitted every political party.
Dhami noted that after delimitation, the number of Assembly seats in the hill state would have gone up to 105, with 35 reserved for women. He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand would have risen from five to seven or eight.
"The opposition fears that if women from ordinary households enter politics, the shops of dynastic politics run by certain parties will shut down," the chief minister claimed.
He compared the opposition's conduct in Parliament to the assembly in Mahabharat where Draupadi was insulted. Dhami further likened the opposition's behaviour to the "arrogance of Ravan".
The chief minister highlighted his government's initiatives, asserting that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to protect women's rights. He said the UCC freed Muslim women from practices like "halala", "iddat", polygamy and child marriage.
Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the technical feasibility of the bill, calling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claims of providing reservation by 2029 "misleading".
He argued that the bill is linked to census and delimitation processes. The Congress leader said the 2026 census would conclude by 2027 and the final data publication would take two more years.
"The delimitation process will take another six years. The actual implementation of this bill is not possible before 2034," Arya said, describing the move as a strategy to protect the BJP's "political ground".
The session also saw high drama outside the Assembly gates, where Congress MLA Virendra Jati staged a protest, demanding the payment of "outstanding" dues to farmers by sugar mills.
Jati arrived at the Assembly's main gate with a tractor-trolley loaded with sugarcane and dumped it on the road. The move brought the traffic to a halt, prompting traffic and security personnel to intervene and clear the area.
Women Congress workers also staged a demonstration against the "anti-people policies" of the state government.
