Will allot slot for trust vote when CM seeks it: Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru: In the wake of H D Kumaraswamy deciding to seek a trust vote, Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Friday said a slot would be allotted whenever the Karnataka Chief Minister opted for it.
"The chief minister has spoken his mind that he would not cling to power amid the confusion. He said he will seek the trust of the House," the Speaker told reporters here.
"Whenever he tells me that he wants to move the trust motion, the very next day I will put it in the business of the day," he added.
The embattled chief minister Friday sought time from the Speaker to move the trust vote in the House in the wake of resignation by 16 MLAs--13 from the Congress and three JD(S) legislators.
Also, two independent MLAs withdrew their support to the government and aligned with the BJP.
To a question on the justification behind the chief minister seeking to trust vote while paying condolences, the Speaker said the question should be put to Kumaraswamy.
"I feel that it can be heard because he had said that he will not cling to power in the current situation. I cannot say that I will hear it today itself. He has only informed me that on a certain day he will seek the trust vote. My job will be to include it in the list of business of the day," Ramesh Kumar added.
The Speaker was supposed to start the hearing on the resignation of three MLAs Anand Singh, Prathap Gouda Patil and Narayana Gowda Friday.
However, two of them approached the Supreme Court, which directed the speaker to maintain 'status quo'.
Asked whether he would still start proceedings on the resignation by three MLAs, Kumar said, "I will start the process if they come. If they don't come I will sleep at home.
That's it."
The resignations have pushed the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state to the brink. If the resignations are accepted, the coalition of Congress and JD(S) will have 100 members while BJP will have 107 MLAs.
The ruling coalition's total strength is 116 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37 and BSP-1), besides the Speaker.
With the support of the two independents, who Monday resigned from the ministry, the BJP has 107 MLAs in the 224-member House, where the half-way mark is 113.
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PM to reach Sikkim on Monday to attend 50 years of statehood ceremony, launch Rs 4,000 cr projects
Gangtok (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach Sikkim on Monday for a two-day tour, during which he will hold a roadshow, attend the closing ceremony of 50 years of statehood and launch projects worth Rs 4,000 crore, officials said.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place in the state capital and surrounding areas in view of Modi's visit, they said.
According to the itinerary of his visit, Modi will arrive in Gangtok around 3 pm and will hold a roadshow to Lok Bhawan here soon after landing at Libing helipad.
The Prime Minister will visit the Orchidarium in Gangtok the next day. To showcase the ecological and floral heritage of the state, a "Swarnajayanti Maitri Manjari Park" has been developed as a world-class Orchid Experience Centre on the golden jubilee of Sikkim's statehood.
He will launch multiple development projects worth over Rs 4,000 crore across the state while participating in the closing ceremony of Sikkim's 50th year of statehood at Paljor Stadium.
The projects span a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, connectivity, healthcare, education, power, urban development, environment, tourism and agriculture, the officials said.
The Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion, the officials said.
Modi had been scheduled to be present at the opening ceremony of the year-long celebrations of 50 years of Sikkim's statehood at Paljor Stadium last year, but he could not reach the venue due to inclement weather. He, however, addressed the gathering through video conferencing from Bagdogra in neighbouring West Bengal.
