Papers flung at the Chair as Karnataka Assembly witnesses chaotic scenes during BJP protest
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed chaotic scenes as members of the BJP threw papers at the Chair, upset over the Speaker's decision to conduct the proceedings of the House without breaking for lunch.
This was amid the BJP's protest against the Congress government for allegedly "misusing" IAS officers for opposition leaders' meeting in the past two days.
BJP members gave vent to their anger as Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani was conducting the proceedings, after Speaker U T Khader left stating that the House would not break for lunch and the discussion on the Budget and demands would continue. He said that those members who want to go for lunch could do so and return to the discussions.
This happened even as opposition BJP and JD(S)members were protesting from the well of the House accusing the Congress government of deputing 30 IAS officers to "serve" its alliance leaders, who had met in the city on Monday and Tuesday in the city to strategise for the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Upset by the Speaker's decision to conduct the proceedings amid the protest and not break for lunch, the BJP members went into a huddle for a brief period and then, all of a sudden, threw papers at the Chair and the Deputy Speaker stating that the House cannot be run like this.
Under which rule had the lunch been cancelled, they demanded to know.
The BJP members also repeatedly raised the issue of Speaker Khader attending the dinner hosted for opposition leaders by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Monday.
As several members repeatedly threw papers at the Deputy Speaker, objecting to the way in which the House was being conducted, Assembly Marshals surrounded the Chair and tried to protect Lamani.
The Congress MLAs objected to the "unruly" behaviour of BJP MLAs, resulting in chaos. The Deputy Speaker then adjourned the house for the later part of the day.
Earlier in the day, the Assembly passed five bills without any discussion even as protests by the BJP and JD(S) members from the well of the House continued.
After the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House, BJP leaders including former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said they were considering moving a no-confidence motion against the Speaker, while Congress MLAs were heard demanding the suspension of BJP MLAs for "unruly behaviour".
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
