Will have to examine if resignations are genuine: Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru, Jul 11: Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar said MLAs, who appeared before him Thursday, have given their resignations in the "right format" and he will have to examine whether they are "voluntary and genuine."
"The MLAs had come, they said they want to resign, I said they can give...they asked me to accept it.
It cannot be like that I will have to see whether it is genuine or voluntary and be convinced," Kumar told reporters after meeting the disgruntled legislators.
Asserting he will abide by rules, the speaker said he will take a "just decision which may be of convenience to some and inconvenience to some."
Meanwhile, sources said the MLAs were returning to Mumbai.
Kumar said "the proceedings of today have been videographed, and will be sent to the Supreme Court Registrar General.
He said "Court has asked me to come to a decision, I have written to them (SC) the word "forthwith" they have said, I am unable to understand- what to decide, as Constitution says something else, so I have given them (MLAs) time (to appear before me).
The speaker also said he has asked MLAs some questions and they have answered them.
As per the Karnataka Legislature Rules, intended resignation should be "in perfect format," he said.
"Unfortunately, eight of the 13 letters that reached my office (last week) were not in the format," the speaker said.
"MLAs have submitted resignation in right format now..
I will have to examine whether resignations are voluntary and genuine," he added.
Kumar also insisted that he was neither responsible for the current political situation nor its outcome.
As many as 10 Karnataka rebel MLAs, who were camping in Mumbai, arrived here by two special flights, hours after the Supreme Court allowed them to meet the Assembly Speaker to convey their decision to resign.
The MLAs boarded a luxury bus from the HAL airport and proceeded towards the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat.
The top court earlier asked the speaker to decide "forthwith" on Thursday about the resignation of 10 rebel Congress-JD(S) coalition MLAs, allowing them to meet him at 6 pm.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the decision taken by the speaker has to be intimated on Friday when the court takes up the matter again.
The resignation of 16 MLAs (13 from Congress and three from JDS) has pushed the coalition government to the brink of collapse.
Two independent MLAs have also withdrawn support to the coalition government.
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Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.
A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.
Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?"
"Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.
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"Even when we are debating it is on other issues not the real issues of the people. Time is being wasted, money is being wasted, they are disrupting themselves," Priyanka Gandhi added.
The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.
However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.
