JOIN USWhile the agitation may be in the name of D K Ravi, inside the legislature, it was an informal get-together for MLCs and MLAs from distant parts of the State.
On March 17, soon after announcing the day-night dharna, members in the Council made themselves comfortable by getting their lungis and track pants from their homes and Legislature House rooms.
The Council Secretariat had arranged for bisibele bhath, curd rice and chow chow bath. Sources said more condiments and eatables were brought to the Council by JD(S) MLC T A Saravana. They had also arranged for some sweet, along with heserubele (green gram) and payasa. Some of the MLAs such as Basavaraj Bommai and R Ashoka, who had visited their agitating party colleagues in the Council, shared the home food with them. D S Veeraiah, MLC, too, had brought food from home which he shared with his colleagues.
Tara Anuradha and Vimala Gowda, who participated in the dharna throughout the day, went home in the evening on Tuesday and on Wednesday.
Though the Council Secretariat had arranged for emergency medicine, some of the MLCs went home to get their insulin and other necessary medicines on their own.
For morning breakfast, the Council Secretariat had provided a simple breakfast of idli-vada and khara bhath, coffee and tea for members and staff. This apart, the MLCs entertained themselves by singing patriotic songs and bhajans. They were joined by MLAs like Jagadish Shettar, C T Ravi, Basavaraj Bommai, Prabhu Chavan and others.
Basavaraj Horatti (JD-S) suggested the singing party headed by G Madhusudhan and Saravana to sing in honour of Ravi, so that his soul rests in peace. A devotional song was dedicated to him. It is said that sleeping arrangements were made by providing blankets, bedspreads and pillows for the members, by renting them.
Sleeping arrangements were made on the dais of the Chairman’s seat and in the lounge. Eight marshalls, four staffers and five doctors were deployed for the protesting members.
In the Assembly, the dharna saw Opposition MLAs get food from Basant Residency, famous for its north Karnataka delicacies.
On Wednesday evening, with the increasing number of people flocking to Vidhana Soudha, the police had ensured that all entries were closed, citing security reasons.