BENGALURU: Soon after the House assembled, Deputy Chairman Dharme Gowda, a JDS MLC, occupied the Chairman’s seat even as the quorum bell was ringing and the Chairman who was in his office was yet to arrive inside the House. Angry legislators rushed to the well and physically dragged Gowda from the seat. While the BJP accused the Chairman of holding on to power by rejecting the no-confidence motion without placing it before the House, the Congress blamed the ruling party of trying to prevent the Chairman from entering the House and making deputy chairman occupy the chair even when the chairman was in his office.
After putting Chandrashekar Patil in the presiding officer’s seat, Congress MLCs stood guard around him to prevent BJP members from unseating him. All this while, the Marshals were struggling to control the situation. Amid the din and highly-charged atmosphere, the Chairman walked into House and immediately adjourned the House. But the ruling and opposition members continued to indulge in heated exchanges.
BJP, the single-largest party in the council with 31 members, accused Shetty and Congress of holding on to the post even after losing the confidence of members and the majority required to continue in the post. The leaders said they had followed required procedures and issued a notice for moving the no-confidence motion, but it was not listed in the agenda as the Chairman rejected it.
“Today’s developments highlighted the Congress culture. They forcibly removed the Deputy Chairman from the seat holding him by his neck,” said Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa after he was briefed about the developments. After JDS openly stated that they were supporting BJP, Congress should have immediately asked the chairman to resign as they do not have the majority, Yediyurappa said.
Shetty from Congress and Gowda from JDS were elected when the JDS-Congress coalition government was in power. Now, in the changed situation, especially after BJP emerged as the single-largest party in the Council and struck a good equation with the JDS, the party is keen on ousting the chairman, who they accuse of being partisan. But the Congress blamed BJP for the ruckus in the House. “How could the Deputy Chairman occupy that seat when the Chairman was in the office? The Deputy Chairman should not have done that,” Opposition Leader in the Council S R Patil .
Congress Legislature Party chief Siddaramaiah said it was a black spot on parliamentary democracy. It was a conspiracy by BJP and JDS, he alleged.JDS MLC Basavaraj Horatti said the chairman lost the majority supprt and since the no-confidence motion was against him, the Deputy Chairman had occupied the seat.The government, however, defended its decision to allow Deputy Chairman to conduct the House. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said, “He (Shetty) has rejected our motion of impeachment, though he has no powers to do so. He cannot be a judge in his own case.” Revenue Minister R Ashoka said, “We condemn the Chairman’s behaviour. Our fight will continue.”
