Protest fatigue creeps in

Majority of the Opposition MLAs and MLCs on Wednesday took a break from the protest in batches and had a nap at their respective rooms in the nearby Legislators’ Home.

Many could not sleep well for the last two nights as they were awake till late in the night. Some were chatting till 2 am, while others could not get sleep due to the absence of a proper bed. Moreover, members in both the Houses had to put up with mosquitoes and rodents that populate the lounges.

Some members complained that rodents would jump on the sleeping members, jolting them out their sleep. “We had a bad night because of mosquitoes,” grumbled R V Venkatesh, Congress MLC. To add to the discomfort, the Government, on Tuesday ordered the removal of bedding it had provided to the protesters in the Council on the first day of the protest.

A member said the Council secretariat kept only for a day its promise to provide food and other facilities. The Secretariat says that as the rule book had no provision for such facility.

The protesting legislators assembled in the morning as usual. They stayed till the Houses were adjourned for the day. About six MLAs and MLCs, however, stayed back in the House to continue the stay-in.

Unlike in the last two days, there was no cultural programmes in the Assembly lounge. Some Congress leaders seem to have told their juniors that singing, mimicry etc., would kill the seriousness of their dharna. There was no sponsored lunch for the members.

Among senior leaders who called on the protesters was C K Jaffer Sharief. The Congress veteran criticized Chief Minister Yeddyurappa for failing to understand the intensity of the illegal mining issue.