Karnataka Assembly
Credit: DH Photo
The Assembly witnessed prolonged disorder on Wednesday. The BJP’s overnight dharna demanding the resignation of Excise Minister R B Timmapur, over the alleged excise scam, continued in the House. The Speaker, however, was unable to restore order.
The BJP members continued their protest in the well of the House for the second consecutive day, shouting slogans and insisting that the minister’s reply was “not satisfactory”.
However, the Assembly continued with the debate on the resolution moved by the chief minister opposing the Centre’s VB - G RAM G amid the din and passed it by voice vote, even as the BJP members staged a walkout late evening.
Earlier, Congress member and legal advisor to CM A S Ponnanna invoked Mahatma Gandhi and said, “The soul of India lies in its villages.”
Recalling the 73rd Constitutional Amendment and enactment of the Panchayat Raj Act, he said the UPA government had strengthened Gram Swaraj through MGNREGA in 2005, but BJP shattered Gandhi’s dream.
Ponnanna argued that VB - G RAM G violated cooperative federalism and fiscal autonomy of states. Citing Article 282, he said, “Any grant for public purpose must respect fiscal autonomy. A centrally imposed scheme that shifts the funding pattern from 90:10 to 60:40 burdens states and goes against constitutional principles”. He also referred to Supreme Court judgments to stress collaborative federalism.
Rural development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge defended MGNREGA as a globally recognised programme.“This government is called the ‘Guarantee Sarkar’. The MGNREGA guaranteed dignity, minimum wages and employment in villages,” he said, citing 156 crore job cards nationally and over 81 lakh in Karnataka. “The UN, ILO and even the union government have acknowledged its success, especially in women’s empowerment and during Covid,” he said.
Kharge accused the Centre of “name-changing politics”. “You can rename schemes, but undoing the world’s best job guarantee programme is unacceptable. Panchayats would be reduced to implementing agencies. This is financial terrorism on states,” he said and added that the people would force the Centre to withdraw the law, “just as they did with the farm laws.”
During the debate, BJP leader Arvind Bellad raised a point of order claiming that the debate had exceeded five hours.
However, Speaker U T Khader ruled that the duration was his prerogative.Amid continued disorder, the House passed the resolution (after 6 hours and 51 minutes of debate), following which the BJP legislators tore copies of it and walked out.
House in chaos
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka said the party had staged an all-night dharna and accused the Chair of not addressing the Opposition’s grievances.
He said the Speaker failed to keep the House in order following a flare-up between Congress MLA Shivalinge Gowda and BJP member Sharanu Salagar over the resolution.
BJP leader Sunil Kumar objected to the Speaker’s “silence” in the face of “unparliamentary language” used by Gowda. “If provocation gives members the liberty to say anything in response, we should have said so many things in this House,” Kumar said, demanding an apology and expunging of the remarks.
Gowda said he had been provoked during his speech and had “lost his cool”. Despite appeals from the Chair for both sides to express regret, neither did. Ashoka said that personal remarks made in the House could not be glossed over.
Passed in Council
Amid walkout by BJP and Janata Dal (Secular), the Council, late on Wednesday night, passed a resolution urging the Centre to re-introduce
MGNREGA programme.