8-day Karnataka legislature session to begin on Monday; 32 bills on the cards

A short session of the legislature begins in the Vidhana Soudha on Monday amid unprecedented safety measures in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The session is scheduled to conclude on September 30.

The Opposition is looking to corner the government on several fronts, including its response to Covid-19 pandemic and alleged irregularities in the procurement of Covid equipment, GST compensation issues, flood relief, the DJ Halli riots among others.

The Congress on Sunday alleged that the BJP government was planning to curtail the session for just three days and demanded that the session be held for an additional 15 days.

The Yediyurappa government plans to table over 30 bills in the session, which will last a maximum of eight working days, attracting opposition from various groups.

A massive protest by a collective of 32 labour, farmer, Dalit and other organisations is scheduled in Bengaluru as the session kicks off, against amendments to the Land Reforms Act, the APMC Act and various labour laws.

The issues will also be raised by Opposition parties who have made their reservations clear over the Bills being tabled in the legislature.

Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah has urged the government to increase the duration of the session, noting that eight days were insufficient to discuss all the Bills the state wanted to table. Discussion on extending the session is expected in the business advisory council meeting slated for Monday morning.

On Sunday, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said the government was planning to curtail the session for just three days.

“When there are several issues to discuss (Yediyurappa) called me yesterday and said Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has asked him to conclude the session in four days,” he said, adding that the Opposition would not yield to the demands. “We need 15 more days,” he added.