The budget session of the Karnataka legislature seemed like a preview of the acrimony that one can expect all the way till the general elections later this year.
In fact, the session was cut short by a day as unrelenting Opposition members trooped to well of the House for the third consecutive day. It ended without discussion on Governor Vajubhai R. Vala’s address or the State Budget for 2019–20.
The Opposition BJP disrupted proceedings constantly, first claiming that the government lacked majority and later protesting the decision to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the controversial audio recording which has conversations allegedly of BJP leaders trying to “buy up” governing combine MLAs
Government survives
While there were doubts about the very survival of the governing coalition as the session began — with theories doing the rounds that the BJP might turn it into a floor test of sorts by not allowing the passage of the budget — the government, however, survived. The audio clips released by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy hours before the budget presentation, purportedly indicating that the BJP was indulging in horse trading, appeared to have put brakes on ‘Operation Kamala’.
The coalition was on a sticky wicket as the session began, with some of its MLAs “missing”. The Opposition BJP was allegedly holding five of them (four from the Congress and one from the JD-S) in Mumbai and making efforts to topple the government.
Congress members B. Nagendra and Ramesh Jarkiholi interacting with Minister for Water Resources D.K. Shivakumar in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Finally, the governing parties heaved a sigh of relief when “rebel” MLAs attended the session on Wednesday. Interestingly, Independent MLA H. Nagesh, who had withdrawn his support to the coalition government a few weeks ago, expressed his support to the governing dispensation on Wednesday and was accommodated as an associate member of the Congress.
In case of the four Congress “rebels”, the party has petitioned the Speaker seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law for skipping the CLP meetings as well as the session for the first five days. The Speaker is yet to take a decision on the matter. It is argued that the threat of disqualification, which was hanging like the sword of Damocles over them, and revelations of the audio recording that brought them back, though all may not be well between them and the party.
With so much political upheaval, the first three days of the session, including the Governor’s address and presentation of the budget by Mr. Kumaraswamy, were paralysed as the BJP staged a protest in well of the House saying that the government lacked majority. On the opening day, the Governor had to cut short his address and read out only two pages of his 22-page speech amid din.
Though the release of the audio clips hours before the budget appeared to stop the BJP on its tracks, in the House, the sound and fury only escalated. The House was unanimous on conducting a probe into controversial audio recording — particularly so since the voices in the tape (allegedly of BJP leaders) cast aspersions on Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar saying that he had been “booked” for ₹50 crore for accepting the resignation of “rebel” MLAs. But the Opposition argued that it cannot be probed by a Special Investigation Team since such an investigation cannot be impartial and would be under the diktat of the governing parties. It was an impasse, with the BJP demanding a probe by either a House committee or judicial commission.
On the last day on Thursday, BJP members continued their protest and this time it was opposing the attack on the residence of its MLA Preetham Gowda allegedly by JD(S) workers in Hassan.
It was amid this din that the government tabled reports of various committees and motion of thanks to the Governor’s address. The House passed eight Bills without discussion. The crucial Finance Bill, 2019 (vote on account for expenditure during 2019–20) too was passed amid anti-government slogans.
Silence on drought
The session ended by skipping the much talked drought situation in the State — which has hit 156 taluks. There was no room for discussion on the coalition government’s ambitious farm loan-waiver scheme either.
