Council ruckus: 2 BJP MLCs quit House panel

Two BJP MLCs have resigned from the special House committee to look into the December 15 ruckus in the Legislative Council, putting its future in limbo.

The committee, headed by JD(S) MLC Marithibbe Gowda, was constituted by Legislative Council chairperson K Pratapachandra Shetty.

BJP MLCs H Vishwanath and S V Sankanur recused themselves from being members of the committee ahead of its first meeting scheduled on Friday. The committee also has Congress MLCs R B Thimmapur and B K Hariprasad.

Vishwanath told reporters there was need for a high-level committee to inquire into the incident and the special committee constituted by Shetty would not serve the purpose.

“A committee like this has to be constituted in consultation with party whips. It cannot be a unilateral decision. This committee was constituted only by the chairperson without him seeking suggestions from anyone,” Sankanur told DH.

Both the leaders said they agreed with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for a high-level inquiry into the ruckus, after which Deputy Chairperson S L Dharmegowda, who was heckled, died allegedly by suicide.

Meanwhile, Marithibbe Gowda said the committee was unfazed by the resignations and that it would continue meeting and submit a report in 20 days. “Our next meeting is scheduled for January 12. We have much to accomplish to finish compilation of the report,” he said.

According to Gowda, he could not accept the resignations of the members as the committee was constituted by the chairperson. Resignations had to be accepted only the chairperson, he stated.

While framing the committee, Shetty’s rationale was to retain objectivity by not consulting party leaders. “I have chosen only those MLCs who were not involved in the incident,” he had said.

The committee has invited much criticism from ruling party leaders. Recently, senior BJP MLC Ayanur Manjunath had written to the chairperson disputing the grounds on which the committee was constituted. With the ruling party members not willing to accept the validity of the committee, its future and that of its report hangs in balance.