BENGALURU: The Social Welfare Department’s decision to replace the wording at the entrance of classrooms in its schools from “This is the temple of knowledge, come with folded hands” to “This is the temple of knowledge ask without fear” resulted in ruckus in both Houses of the legislature on Monday.
Opposition BJP legislators in the Assembly and Council slammed the department for making the change. In the Council, MLCs protested in the well, demanding a detailed statement from the minister.
BJP state president and party MLA BY Vijayendra and MLC N Ravi Kumar took up the issue in the Assembly and Council, respectively, during the zero hour. Vijayendra said the Social Welfare Department principal secretary has issued directions to change the wording at the entrance of residential schools run by the department.
“With this, the government has insulted Rashtrakavi Kuvempu,” Vijayendra said. An irked Krishna Byregowda, revenue minister, said the Congress government does not need BJP for lessons on respecting Kuvempu. “It is you (BJP) who removed Kuvempu’s chapter from the textbook. Why do you bring politics here,” he questioned.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka said Vidhana Soudha carries a slogan, ‘’Sarakari Kelsa Devara Kelasa”. “Will that also be removed? Who is he (the officer) to change the wording at the residential schools and who has given him the power,” Ashoka asked.
BJP members protested in the well in the Council when they were not allowed to discuss the issue during the zero hour. They were asked to take it up for discussion under a different provision after following the due process and Council opposition leader Kota Srinivas Poojary’s request was turned down. At one point, BJP and Congress MLCs were raising slogans against each other. The House was adjourned after the din.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka has demanded that the state government allow drilling of new borewells as the existing ones have gone dry. “We still have four months left for the monsoon and we are already facing a drinking water crisis now,” he told the Assembly. Ashoka said it’s not just people, even animals are facing a lack of water in Karnataka. With no rain, the state is facing a drought situation and underground water has depleted drastically.
“At some places, borewells are not able to pump water from even at a dept of 1,000 ft. People are forced to depend on private water tankers,” he said. Ashoka also pointed out that many experts have flagged the water crisis. “Reservoirs in the state have reached rock bottom, water is also getting evaporated and in the coming days the situation is likely to turn from bad to worse as monsoon is some four months away,” he said. The government should allow drilling of borewells in new locations. “The government should also provide Rs 10 lakh to each gram panchayat to resolve the issue,” he said.
Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar said a committee constituted by the department suggested changes in the system of grading in universities. The committee was constituted after a boy studying at a university died by suicide. The minister informed the Council that they will get a report from the Higher Education Council and see how they can bring in a uniform system in all universities. He was responding to MLC Manjunath Bhandari’s question on huge variations in marks given by different universities and the need to bring in a uniform system.
The Assembly witnessed a verbal altercation between Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal over contractors’ association president D Kempanna’s allegation of 40% commission. “The government is not paying outstanding bills to contractors. Earlier, Kempanna had said that there is ‘40% commission’ in the current government. But it is a pity that he kept quiet and I don’t know whether he was fed with honey or jaggery,” Yatnal alleged. Shivakumar responded by recalling that Yatnal had alleged irregularities in the previous BJP government during the Covid-19 pandemic, and suggested that he speak out on the matter. This lead to a war of words between the duo with each addressing the other in the singular.
