CM Siddaramaiah pulls up ministers over delay in replies to MLAs' questions
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has pulled up his cabinet colleagues over the delay in furnishing replies to the questions of legislators, warning that the lapse has caused embarrassment to the government and undermined the dignity of the House.
In a letter addressed to all ministers on Monday, the Chief Minister flagged that a large number of questions raised by MLAs across sessions of the 16th Karnataka Legislative Assembly remain unanswered, and directed immediate corrective action by departments and officials.
"A list of department-wise questions that have remained unanswered from the 1st Session to the 9th Session of the 16th Karnataka Legislative Assembly (2023-26) has been prepared. It has been observed that, as of the Assembly sitting held on March 16, 2026, out of 245 questions, only 90 have been answered so far," Siddaramaiah said.
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The chief minister noted that the failure to respond to pending questions has hindered legislators from effectively participating in House proceedings. "This has not only caused serious embarrassment to the government but has also undermined the rights of the legislators and the dignity of the House," he said.
The letter comes a day after an unprecedented development in the Assembly, where Speaker U T Khader adjourned proceedings and walked out, expressing strong displeasure over the inadequate replies furnished by government departments. The move followed protests by opposition members, including Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, who accused the government of ignoring repeated warnings from the Chair.
During the session on Monday, Home Minister G Parameshwara had tabled only 84 written replies against over 200 unstarred questions, prompting sharp reactions from both the Speaker and the opposition. Khader had said he would not run the House until ministers and officials provided proper explanations.
Referring to the Speaker's concerns, Siddaramaiah said in his letter that "the Hon'ble Speaker expressed strong displeasure" over the issue during a meeting held on Monday. He directed that departmental secretaries must immediately furnish explanations for failing to send replies on time to the Legislature.
Further, he instructed that in cases where replies are still pending, departments must write separately to the concerned MLAs, giving a definite timeline for providing the information.
The chief minister's intervention follows assurances given by the government in the House that strict action, including issuing notices and possible suspension of erring officials, would be taken to address the backlog and prevent recurrence.
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ED arrests Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora in fresh PMLA case
New Delhi/Chandigarh (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora in a fresh money laundering case against him and some entities allegedly linked to him, officials said.
Arora was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after raids were conducted at his official residence in Chandigarh since early morning, they added.
Officials claimed Arora (62) was "non-cooperative" during the probe. He is expected to be produced before a local court on Saturday, where the agency will seek his custody for a detailed interrogation.
The ED carried out the searches at five premises across north India as part of the action.
The raids also covered two premises in Delhi and that of a company named Hampton Sky Realty Ltd in Gurugram's Udyog Vihar.
The searches were launched after the central agency registered a fresh case under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the officials said.
