Karnataka Assembly winter session: BJP faces lack of floor coordination in cornering ruling Congress

Belagavi: The BJP suffered from poor floor coordination on day one of the winter session of the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Even as Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka was urging Speaker U T Khader to allow a discussion on the Waqf controversy, MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal raised a totally different matter concerning his Panchamasali Lingayat community.

This was seen as a manifestation of the internal squabbles of the BJP.

After obituary references, Ashoka rose to move an adjournment motion on the Waqf controversy. While Khader agreed to allot time for a discussion on this, the likes of Ashoka, V Sunil Kumar and Dr C N Ashwath Narayan wanted an immediate debate by suspending Question Hour.

While this negotiation was going on, Yatnal suddenly raised an order issued by the Belagavi district administration restricting the entry of vehicles for the Panchamasali Lingayat protest meeting scheduled on Tuesday. The community is demanding a hike in the reservation.

Ashoka was taken by surprise when Yatnal led a team of BJP MLAs to the well of the House. This included Ashoka’s deputy Arvind Bellad, B P Harish and others.

This forced Ashoka and others to recalibrate and join Yatnal. Before that, Ashoka was seen looking at other BJP MLAs seeking advice on what to do.

“There are two BJPs. One in the well and the other that’s not. To which BJP do we address?” Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda quipped.

Earlier, there was a verbal exchange between the BJP and Congress over raising the Waqf controversy.

When Khader was about to invite MLAs to speak on the new oil painting depicting Basavanna’s Anubhava Mantapa installed inside the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, Ashoka said: “How can we speak about that when Basavanna’s temples are becoming Waqf properties?”

This provoked the ruling Congress. “The BJP is against Basavanna. Will the RSS office install Basavanna’s portrait in its office?” Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil said. After the Panchamasali Lingayats’ issue became the bone of contention, the BJP attacked the government for curtailing protests. “This is a Hitler government. Is there no permission to hold a protest?” Ashoka screamed.