A view of proceedings in the Karnataka Legislative Council.
Credit: DH Photo
The Legislative Council witnessed another day of disruption on Tuesday, continuing the chaos from Monday.
The Opposition BJP and JD(S) members demanded an apology from Congress MLC Naseer Ahmed for his ‘uncharitable’ remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ahmed expressed regret following a request from Council chairperson Basavaraj Horatti, but the Opposition party members insisted on an apology rather than mere regret.
At the same time, ruling party members demanded an apology from BJP MLC C T Ravi, who had indirectly suggested that Ahmed belonged to a neighbouring country.
As the session began, the Opposition members staged a protest against Naseer Ahmed. During this, Ravi commented that anyone criticising the Prime Minister was “definitely not Indian,” saying, “That person might be from some other country; he would not have uttered such a comment if he were Indian.”
This sparked a heated debate between ruling and opposition members, forcing Chairman Horatti to adjourn the house and call party leaders for conciliation. The chairman also expunged Ravi’s remark from the records.
Horatti requested Ravi to apologise in the interest of house functioning, but Ravi and his party refused, leading to another adjournment. Horatti expressed regret over members’ conduct and warned BJP MLC N Ravikumar and Ravi to maintain decorum.
Ravi defended his statement, saying he had done nothing wrong, while the chairman noted that his comment indirectly targeted Naseer.
Law Minister H K Patil called Ravi a provocateur, saying Naseer was provoked by him, and urged him to apologise.
The exchange escalated further when Congress MLC B K Hariprasad mentioned Jeffrey Epstein, angering BJP members. Frustrated with the disruptions, MLCs Puttanna and K Shivakumar urged members to stop unnecessary debates and allow new members to participate, stressing the need to uphold the dignity and functioning of the House.
Puttanna criticised the disruptions, saying, “The entire state is watching us live, but what have we been doing the last few days? I even brought a blanket yesterday to cover myself from the telecast. We must respect the honour of this house.”
Shivakumar urged the members to end unnecessary debates and let new members speak. He added, “Several new members, like me, are here to learn. We’ve seen inspiring leaders in this house, but recent conduct is disappointing. Let’s have a healthy debate.”