The proceedings of the morning session of the Legislative Assembly were disrupted on the first day of the legislature session in the border city of Belagavi on Tuesday as the House was adjourned till 3 p.m. following dharna by the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of non-payment of dues towards sugarcane growers by the sugar factories.
The issue created pandemonium even in the Legislative Council.
All that the Assembly could transact without any trouble was making obituary reference for about 10 minutes to 11 prominent personalities who died recently. Soon after this the BJP members demanded that they should be allowed to discuss the issue of sugarcane growers’ problems through an adjournment motion that has censuring provision.
However, Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa said they would be allowed to discuss the issue only after completing the Question Hour as per the agenda for the day. However, the BJP members rushed to the well of the House and commenced a dharna demanding that the Question Hour be put-off to make way for them to discuss the sugarcane growers’ issue. Following this the House was adjourned for about 30 minutes.
When the House re-assembled, the speaker began the Question Hour amidst the dharna by the BJP members. However, only two questions could be taken up in the din as the protesting members resorted to slogan-shouting.
After the Question Hour, the speaker allowed the BJP members to discuss the issue under Rule 69 that does not have censuring provision. But a stalemate resulted as the BJP members continued their dharna demanding that the discussion should be allowed under the adjournment motion itself.
They alleged that the government was ‘ill-treating’ the farmers. “The government is honouring the Naxalites by offering them a rehabilitation package. But it is apathetic towards farmers and is even preventing them from attending the dharna being held outside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha”, alleged Leader of the Opposition, Jagadish Shettar.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shot back by accusing the BJP of being interested only in getting publicity rather than solving the problems of farmers.
Meanwhile the Janata Dal(S) members too resorted to dharna taking exception to curtailing the Tuesday’s Question Hour. Following this, the speaker adjourned the House till 3 p.m.
