Proceedings in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly were disrupted for the second consecutive day as opposition parties refused to withdraw their demand for the resignation of Minister B Nagendra.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] on Tuesday, August 18, continued their protest and even wore black shawls demanding that Minister Nagendra, who was allegedly involved in an embezzlement scheme running into several crores at Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The government’s attempt to secure a unanimous resolution condemning the “shuddhikaran” ceremony held at Ramlila Maidan in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally there, fell through after the Opposition linked its support to action against Nagendra.
During Zero Hour, Congress MLA Sharath Bacche Gowda raised the Uttarakhand incident. “People with a Manuvadi mindset performed a homa to cleanse the place where Mallikarjun Kharge stood and later conducted a public ritual. This was not merely an insult to the Constitution but to humanity itself,” he said.
Sharath further said the incident was an insult to Kharge’s public service and urged the government to adopt a resolution condemning it and send it to the Union government.
Social Welfare Minister KH Muniyappa also sought to move a condemnation resolution and appealed to all members to support it. However, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka refused, insisting that the government first act against Nagendra.
“The government must first come clean on the embezzlement of money meant for Dalits through the Valmiki Corporation. Minister B Nagendra, who was responsible for the department, must be sacked. Once that is done, we will offer support,” Ashoka said.
The government and Opposition had also failed to find common ground at the Business Advisory Committee meeting, with the BJP remaining firm on its demand for Nagendra’s ouster. When the Assembly reconvened, BJP MLAs wore black shawls and scarves and raised slogans.
Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda urged Speaker GS Patil to ensure that comments made without prior notice were not entered into the records. He also criticised the Opposition’s protest and said making allegations without notice amounted to a breach of privilege.
“The opposition is wasting time especially when the state is reeling under drought,” Byre Gowda said.
Ashoka hit back at him, asking, “Are you not ashamed to keep a corrupt minister in the cabinet?” He also waved copies of the CBI chargesheet, further escalating the confrontation in the House.
Speaker GS Patil appealed to the protesting BJP MLAs to remove their black shawls and maintain the dignity of the House. “Let us maintain the dignity of the House. Please remove your black shawls. You can give notice and raise the issue through a discussion,” he said.
The Opposition, however, did not relent. BJP MLAs also objected to the Speaker’s decision to convert a JD(S) adjournment motion on drought into a discussion.
JD(S) floor leader Suresh Babu initially withdrew the notice after BJP members urged him to do so, but the Speaker said it had already been accepted. Opposition members subsequently stayed away from the discussion.
“The discussion can happen when the House is in order. First, resolve the issue that is causing the protest,” Suresh Babu told the Speaker.
The Assembly later witnessed another verbal clash between Ashoka and Municipal Administration Minister HC Balakrishna. The exchange included references to their political records before the proceedings were adjourned. After the House reconvened, Question Hour was held, and three bills were passed before the issue of the Uttarakhand ceremony was raised during Zero Hour.
Bacche Gowda said Kharge was not only the AICC president but also “a son of the soil”, adding, “We cannot accept this act.”
Muniyappa condemned the ceremony and described Kharge as the tallest Dalit leader since Babu Jagjivan Ram. Byre Gowda also urged the BJP to support the resolution, saying, “If this is the disdain they show, they are anti-Dalit. If they have conscience or any respect for Dalits, they must ensure the resolution is unanimously passed.”
With the Opposition refusing to support the resolution unless action was taken against Nagendra, the government decided not to proceed on it. The House was subsequently adjourned.
Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda later said the government could have passed the resolution but chose to defer it. “We could have passed the resolution, but without the support of the whole House, it would have amounted to rubbing salt into a wound. So, we decided to take it up later,” he said.