JOIN USThe government faced an embarrassing situation in the Assembly on Tuesday due to the absence of ministers and the officials when the House met for the post-lunch session.
Outraged, the Opposition BJP staged a walkout, forcing Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa to adjourn the House for some time.
Except for Home Minister K J George, none of the ministers were present in the House when it met in the afternoon. BJP and KJP members, led by Jagadish Shettar and B S Yeddyurappa, took serious exception to the absence of the ministers and the officials.
The Congress has lost interest in running the government so soon, they said and described the development as an insult to the House. The Speaker should adjourn the House and direct all ministers to attend the session, Yeddyurappa demanded. When Thimmappa refused to adjourn the House, Yeddyurappa declared that they will walk out. Interestingly, the BJP members also followed Yeddyurappa and staged a walk out.
But what embarrassed the government most was criticism from its own members. Ramesh Kumar and K N Rajanna took exception to the absence of the ministers. “This is very bad. Why do we need a debate at all in the House? Nobody should take the House for a ride. The Speaker should take tough action,” Ramesh Kumar said.
Rajanna said it is a serious lapse and that the Speaker should cut the allowances
of ministers and legislators for not attending the session.