Bengaluru, Aug 13 (IANS) Protesting the announcement of the nominee for the Speaker’s post on the party letterhead, which it said undermined the sanctity of the constitutional office, the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that it will boycott the Speaker’s election in the Assembly.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will boycott the election of the Legislative Assembly Speaker scheduled for Friday (August 14). However, after the election, we will treat the Chair with the usual respect. This is a protest against the authoritarianism of the Congress,” announced senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka.
Speaking to reporters, Ashoka said that the election of the Legislative Assembly Speaker is to be held on Friday. He stated that the House has sovereignty and the MLAs have the right. Still, the Congress party had unconstitutionally mentioned the name of the Speaker to be selected on its letterhead.
He alleged that “the fake Gandhi family of Delhi has usurped the sovereignty of the House. A new tradition of announcing the Speaker’s name on the party list has been started. Even though the House should elect the Speaker, he has been made elected by the party itself. This is an anti‑democratic policy.”
Ashoka further said that Basavaraj Horatti, who was the Chairman of the Legislative Council, had indicated he would resign, yet MLAs barged into his office and obtained his resignation. “This is also an insult to the Constitution. The names of the new Chairman and Deputy Chairman here have also been shown on the party list. Congress MLA A.S. Ponnanna was shown as Deputy Speaker. Later, he was appointed Political Secretary to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Without clarifying which of these is correct, they have created a nest of confusion. All these are a murder of democracy that violates the rules and procedures of the House,” he said.
Because the Congress has insulted democratic values, the BJP is boycotting the election to select the Legislative Assembly Speaker. “We will not participate in the election. But only after the election will we treat the Chair with respect. This is not against the Chair, but a protest against the Congress’s letterhead and authoritarianism,” Ashoka said.
It can be noted that Congress MLA G.S. Patil on Thursday filed his nomination for the post of Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker in the presence of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Meanwhile, Congress MLC Salim Ahmed also filed his nomination for the post of Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council. The election to the post is scheduled to be held on Friday. Ahmed submitted his nomination papers at the office of the Legislative Council Secretary in the presence of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
It can be noted that former Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti had said he had to sign his resignation letter under compulsion, alleging that he was not allowed to resign on the day he had planned.
Horatti said he had conveyed all details regarding his resignation to the Governor, but had not received any communication confirming whether his resignation had been accepted.
“I have conveyed everything to the Governor in this regard. The Governor has not given me any intimation. He has not stated whether I have been relieved or whether my resignation has been accepted. As far as I know, if I have been appointed as the pro tem Chairman, it means my resignation has been accepted,” Horatti said.
Horatti expressed disappointment over the state Government’s handling of the issue and said the developments hurt him.
“I am pained by the move of the state Government. I have not done anything wrong. I am saddened. I have been in the House for 46 years and have rendered my services. I had to resign under a compulsive situation. I did not want a confrontational situation,” he said.
–IANS
mka/dan
