Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar on Tuesday read out the Supreme Court order on the disqualification of 17 Congress and JD(S) legislators by the then Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar last year, sparking off a heated verbal exchange between the Treasury and Opposition benches in the Legislative Assembly.
When Mr. Sudhakar read out the SC order, Mr. Kumar (Congress), who was in the lounge, rushed to the House and took strong exception to it. When the Minister continued to read the order, Mr. Kumar rushed to the well of the House and protested the Minister’s remarks against the Speaker’s chair.
Speaking on the debate on the Indian Constitution, Mr. Sudhakar said injustice was meted out to the 17 legislators from the chair. He said the Speaker’s chair had indulged in a “conspiracy against legislators” who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress and the JD(S). “We were insulted before the people of the State by disqualification,” said Mr. Sudhakar, who was one of the legislators who quit the Congress and joined the saffron party last year.
Mr. Kumar, who got furious with this, asked Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy, “Do you approve of the reading of the Supreme Court order here?” When Mr. Madhuswamy declined to intervene, Mr. Kumar shouted at Mr. Sudhakar, allegedly using unparliamentary words.
Within no time, chaos prevailed and Congress member Shivanand Patil, who was in the chair in the absence of Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, adjourned the House for five minutes.
The ruckus continued when the House met again after Mr. Kageri discussed the issue with the ruling and Opposition members. While BJP members demanded that Mr. Kumar be suspended from the House, the Congress gave a notice to the Speaker to move a privilege motion against Mr. Sudhakar.
The Minister said “abusive” language was used in the House by the former Speaking. The ruling party members all shouted slogans condemning the use of such words.
‘Not features of a democracy’
Referring to the conduct of ruling party, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said, “These are not the features of a democracy. Please allow me to speak.” As the members continued shouting against each other, despite several appeals to remain calm, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said Mr. Sudhakar’s move was “uncalled for.”
After the Assembly was adjourned, he said the Minister’s statements amounted to breach of privilege of member Mr. Kumar and the entire House. He said the party had given a notice to the Speaker under House Rules 191 and 192 for moving a privilege motion against the Minister. He termed the conduct of BJP members “goonda culture” and “anti-Constitution, anti-democracy, and anti-parliamentary.
