Eighteen BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Friday for “disrespecting” Speaker UT Khader. The suspension resolution, moved by state Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, was adopted by the Assembly.
The incident occurred on the last day of the assembly’s budget session, when the opposition BJP MLAs staged a massive protest. The legislators climbed onto the podium where Speaker Khader’s chair is situated and threw papers at him. The protest was sparked by opposition anger over the allocation of a four percent reservation to Muslims in public contracts.
Earlier, the BJP members had protested from the well of the house, accusing the government of attempting to “honey trap” a minister and demanding a judicial probe into the matter, even as the Chief Minister addressed the budget discussion.
As the suspended legislators remained in the assembly, they were forcefully evicted by marshals. Leader of Opposition, R Ashoka condemned the resolution, saying that the government should be ashamed after Minister KN Rajanna raised the issue of “honey trap” and it failed to protect him. A similar display of unruly behaviour was witnessed in the Legislative Council, where BJP MLCs tore the bill and threw it into the well of the House, directly in front of Council Chairperson Basavaraj Horatti.
While reading out the suspension order, Khader said, “The incident has hurt us a lot and it’s painful. This seat is not just a chair. This is the symbol of democracy, truth and justice. To speak from this chair is a matter of pride. Every member should protect the dignity and sanctity of this chair. None of us are above the chair. Our personal sentiments should not be above the dignity of this chair. We should behave with commitment, calm and civilised way. Let this incident be a lesson for us. Let us in the coming days respect constitution and sanctity of this chair.”
“This chair cannot tolerate interrupting the proceedings of the House, ignoring the dignity of the Chair and behaving in a way that damages the parliamentary traditions,” he added.
