Bengaluru, May 18: The Congress has expressed its strong exception against the Governor for appointing KG Bhopaiah as the Pro tem Speaker of the Assembly. As per the tradition, senior most MLA should be appointed as the Pro tem Speaker. But neglecting senior most MLA RV Deshapande, the Governor has appointed three-time winner KG Bhopaiah. It is not fair to neglect Deshapande, said senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singvi.

Bhopaiah had worked as the Speaker of Karnataka Assembly from 2009-2013. When No Confidence Motion was moved against then Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa in 2010, Bhopaiah had disqualified 11 BJP rebel MLAs and five independent MLAs to protect the government. Against that decision, those 11 MLAs moved the Karnataka high court, which upheld the Speaker’s order. Later, they have moved the Supreme Court, which nullified the Speaker order, he said.

In fact, the Supreme Court had then reprimanded Bhopaiah for violating the Constitutional values and social justice norm. It had also said that the Speaker had exhibited hasty decision to disqualify 16 MLAs before the date fixed for floor test. This decision had clearly indicated that the Speaker wanted defeat the No Confidence Motion move of the Opposition parties against the Chief Minister, the Supreme Court had said.

 

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Cooch Behar (WB) (PTI): Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday alleged the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre was using the proposed amendment to the women's quota law in Parliament as a front for the Delimitation Bill that would "break the country into pieces".

The TMC will fight this Central government's move at every step, she asserted at her party's poll rally here.

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to tweak the women's quota law, along with the Delimitation Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, to implement the proposed amended women's quota law, in the Union territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

According to the Constitution amendment bill, Lok Sabha seats will be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.

Seats will also be increased in state and Union territory assemblies to accommodate 33 per cent reservation for women.

Opposing the Centre's move, Banerjee alleged that "the BJP brought the Delimitation Bill while keeping the women's reservation bill at the front".

"The BJP is trying to increase the number of seats in the Lok Sabha to nearly 850 through the Delimitation Bill. It will break the country into pieces," the TMC supremo said.

She also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not speaking the truth about the development of north Bengal at a BJP rally last week.

"The prime minister said nothing was done for the development of north Bengal. But we spent Rs 1.72 lakh crore on the development of the region," Banerjee said and asked Modi to cross-check data before making such remarks.