Karnataka Congress to boycott Om Birla's address in Assembly

The Congress has decided to boycott Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's address to a joint session of the Karnataka legislature on Friday.

In a statement, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said his party would boycott the address as it was against the provisions of the Constitution.

"The Constitution authorises only the President of India and the Governor for a joint address of the legislature sitting in the Legislative Assembly. This decision to call the Lok Sabha Speaker for an address in the Assembly is unprecedented and sets a bad precedent," Shivakumar said, alleging that it was politically motivated. "The Vidhana Sabha cannot be used for political purposes."

Shivakumar said if at all the Lok Sabha Speaker's speech has to be hosted it can be done in the banquet hall of the Vidhana Soudha and not inside the Assembly. "Even though the party leaders had appealed to Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri on this, he did not oblige. Hence, the party will boycott the address," he said.

It was Kageri's plan to invite Birla, who will speak on 'safeguarding democratic values'.

Earlier in the day, Kageri told the Assembly that it is compulsory for all legislators to attend Birla's address.

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