Karnataka: Senior ruling Cong MLA walks out from Assembly after argument with Speaker
Belagavi, Dec 5: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday saw a heated exchange of words between a senior member of the ruling Congress and the Speaker over Question Hour proceedings going on for a longer duration than scheduled.
Unhappy with the Question Hour being stretched, Congress MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy said the Speaker should "tear" the rule book if he is not following it. He walked out of the House in a huff after the Chair ticked him off for coming late and asked him not to interrupt the proceedings.
The incident occurred when Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy was replying to a question raised by Congress MLA N A Haris on "Brand Bengaluru", on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, which saw participation from opposition BJP members.
The discussion on this specific question went on for a slightly longer duration, with BJP and ruling Congress MLAs engaging in arguments on initiatives under 'Brand Bengaluru'.
Opposition legislators such as C N Ashwath Narayan and Satish Reddy alleged that no work has taken place in the city under the current government.
BJP MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal alleged that Bengaluru has become a "Bomb City", citing the recent bomb scare at a large number of schools in and around the city, resulting in chaos. His remarks led to another heated exchange between both sides.
As the discussion and arguments between both sides went on for some time, senior Congress MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy said, "I request you (Speaker), this is Question Hour, not Question Hours....
"There seems to be no law in this House, tear the handbook (on rules) and throw aside (M N) Kaul and (S L ) Shakdher (Compilation on Practice and Procedure of Parliament) ....Honourable Speaker, you are a Speaker, please follow the rules."
Irked by this, Speaker U T Khader told Rayareddy, "You came at 12 (one hour late) and come and preach here, please sit down...."
As the Speaker repeatedly told Rayareddy to sit down, the latter asserted, "I'm also a senior member, I have got my rights... I have respect for the Chair, please listen to me...if you don't have a patience to listen to a member, what can I do?"
Telling Rayareddy that the Chair had heard him and that he was speaking the same things repeatedly unnecessarily and wasting time, Khader asked the senior MLA, "You follow me, please sit down and allow the proceedings to continue."
Agitated as the speaker did not let him speak and asked the minister to continue with his reply, Rayareddy announced that he would walk out of the House if there was no value of his words, and marched out of the House.
He expressed his anger against ministers Priyank Kharge and Dinesh Gundu Rao, who tried to pacify him and referred to his seniority.
As Rayareddy walked out of the House, opposition BJP members asked the Chair and the ruling party to get the senior member back and treat him respectfully, but the Speaker did not relent and continued with the proceedings.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
