Karnataka CM, Speaker, LoP to meet on May 25 to discuss on revoking suspension of 18 BJP MLAs from Assembly

Bengaluru: A meeting will be held on May 25 consisting of the Chief Minister, Speaker and Leader of Opposition to discuss revoking the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on Thursday.

In an unprecedented move, the MLAs were suspended for six months from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on March 21, for showing "indiscipline" and "disrespecting" the Speaker, following which they were forcefully evicted from the House by the marshals as they refused to leave.

"The issue of MLAs suspension came up in the cabinet. Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) has been authorised by the cabinet to decide and discuss with the Speaker. On May 25 evening a meeting will be held that will be attended by the Speaker (U T Khader), CM, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Leader of Opposition (R Ashoka) and anyone mentioned by the Speaker," Patil said.

The incident leading to suspension had occurred on the last day of the Assembly's budget session, following the opposition BJP MLAs staging a massive protest, against 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts and demanding for judicial probe into alleged "honey-trap" attempt against Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna.

During the protest inside the Assembly that day, while some BJP legislators climbed onto the podium where the Speaker's chair is situated, and surrounded it; few other MLAs among those protesting from the well of the House, hurled papers at the Speaker. Marshals had to forcefully evict the BJP MLAs who had surrounded the Speaker's chair.

The MLAs who were suspended are the BJP chief whip Doddanagouda Patil, former Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan, S R Vishwanath, B A Basavaraju, M R Patil, Channabasappa, B Suresh Gowda, Umanath Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Dr Shailendra Beldale, C K Ramamurthy, Yashpal Suvarna, B P Harish, Bharath Shetty, Dheeraj Muniraju, Chandru Lamani, Muniratna and Basavaraj Mattimud.