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.”

A Report by

Faizan rizwan And lubna rizwan

BENGALURU: Lending credence to speculation that he could be back in the JDS, Congress MLC CM Ibrahim on Monday met JDS national president HD Deve Gowda at his residence. Former CM HD Kumaraswamy and Gowda — who was confined to bed for a few days over back-related issues — spoke to Ibrahim, though the details of the meeting are not clear. It is said that Ibrahim is being offered an important post in the JDS, a party he quit over serious differences with Gowda about 16 years ago.

It is no secret that Ibrahim is eyeing the post of Opposition leader in the Council, expected to be vacated by SR Patil when his six-year term concludes next year. Although Ibrahim has expressed his interest, he has not received any formal assurance from the Congress, which is still weighing its options after suffering serious poll reverses.

Among the frontrunners are backward communities leader BK Hariprasad, who has served as general secretary of ten states and and secretary of six states in the AICC. Ibrahim is not too hopeful as there are doubts that the Congress will elevate a Muslim to the position. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress got wind of Kumaraswamy visiting Ibrahim at his Benson Town residence about six days ago to invite him to rejoin his party, and KPCC president DK Shivakumar himself rushed to Ibrahim’s residence and spent considerable time with him.

Shivakumar said “They have worked together, and it could have been a courtesy call. Ibrahim enjoys secular credentials.’’Ibrahim, once a Gowda loyalist, went on to become a Siddaramaiah loyalist, but of late, the two leaders have fallen out, and MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan is said to have taken his place. Ibrahim has been consistently absent at Siddaramaiah’s meetings too. In 2013, Ibrahim got the Congress ticket from Bhadravati, replacing local leader Sangameshwar, but lost. He was later accommodated as MLC.