The general meeting of the Mandya Zilla Panchayat called here on Friday to discuss various development issues witnessed high drama after JD(S) member K.S. Vijayananda reportedly abused members of the opposition who had called for the meeting to be postponed.
Following this development, opposition Congress and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) members shouted slogans against Mr. Vijayananda for his “unruly behaviour” and walked out of the meeting.
The JD(S) is the single largest party with 24 members in the 40-member zilla panchayat.
The Congress has 14 members, while KRRS has one member. There is one Independent in the panchayat.
The meeting was scheduled at 11 a.m. Around 15 JD(S) members and some officials from various departments were waiting for the opposition party members to start the meeting. It was 11.20 a.m. when the Congress members reached the meeting venue.
The Congress members and KRRS member Kempu Gowda requested panchayat president Bharathi Krishnamurthy and Chief Executive Officer P.C. Jayanna to postpone the meeting for three days claiming that most of the opposition members had yet to receive copies of the agenda and were unaware of what issues were listed in it.
Mr. Vijayananda, Standing Committee (Education) president, tried to pacify the KRRS member. However, Mr. Gowda requested Mr. Vijayananda not to defend officials who “deliberately neglected” opposition members and demanded that the meet be postponed.
In reply, the JD(S) member heaped abuse on the KRRS member, after which the trouble broke out.
The Congress members strongly objected to Mr. Vijayananda’s behaviour towards a senior member, sparking a verbal argument between the ruling and opposition parties.
Sensing trouble, Mr. Krishnamurthy adjourned the meeting till 1 p.m., but this failed to pour oil on troubled waters.
Members of the opposition boycotted the meeting, which was adjourned indefinitely.
