BJP MLAs barge into Karnataka Speaker’s chambers for being one-sided

Belagavi: Angry BJP lawmakers barged into Assembly Speaker U T Khader’s chambers here at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha for a confrontation after the ruling Congress was allowed to turn the tables on the saffron party over the Panchamasali Lingayat community’s reservation issue.

Friction between BJP and Khader started when Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, a Panchamasali, was allowed to criticise the Basavaraj Bommai-led government’s decision to scrap the 4 per cent Muslim quota and divided it equally between Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

The BJP members argued that the discussion should be confined to the December 10 lathicharge against those protesting for a hike in the Panchamasali Lingayat reservation.

Kashappanavar said the previous BJP government created two new reservation categories of 2C and 2D for Vokkaligas and Lingayats, respectively. “This was done just before the announcement of the 2023 Assembly election,” he said.

When the decision was questioned in the Supreme Court, the BJP government said it would not be implemented, the MLA said. “So, for the sake of elections, they announced the reservation and at the same time told the Supreme Court that they won’t go ahead,” he said, slamming the BJP for misleading Panchamasali seer Basava Jaya Mrityunjaya Swami.

Kashappanavar also claimed that the agitation for Panchamasali Lingayat reservation turned violent because “some RSS people pelted stones” at the police. This made BJP lawmakers furious and they sought this remark to be expunged.

After this, Speaker Khader allowed Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to read out the BJP government’s affidavit filed before the Supreme Court.

“If the Panchamasali Lingayat community has faced injustice, it is because of BJP,” Gowda said, amid protests by the opposition on why Khader was allowing the minister to speak. “The BJP has tied the government’s hands,” the minister added.

A point of order raised by BJP’s V Sunil Kumar was disregarded by Khader, which further enraged the opposition. By then, the BJP started attacking Khader, dubbing him “one-sided”.

After Khader adjourned the session for lunch, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, MLAs Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Sunil Kumar and others went straight into the Speaker’s chambers and questioned him. Shouting and hollering were heard from inside as marshalls (security personnel) scrambled.

“The Speaker was told that if he continued to behave this way, we will not attend the session,” Narayan said.