Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
A day after Karnataka Speaker UT Khader castigated Ministers for failing to reply to unstarred questions, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti too censured the state government for being absent during the session.
When the session reconvened on Tuesday afternoon, Council Chairman Horatti was surprised to find that the treasure benches were empty, except for one Minister, Madhu Bangarappa.
On the empty treasury benches, Leader of the Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy remarked that ruling party members appeared to have “boycotted” the proceedings.
Addressing Council Chief Whip Saleem Ahmed, Horatti said, “if treasury bench legislators are not there, why should we have the session? Why do they come? What does this mean? I don’t like it.”
Opposition Chief Whip N Ravikumar said, “If we have to speak on any issues, who should we tell? Who is there among Ministers? Where is the government?”
Horatti then adjourned the house for 10 minutes.
However, little had changed when the session resumed. Although a couple more Ministers - Ramalinga Reddy and Santhosh Lad - were present, most Congress MLCs continued to remain absent.
Horatti then pulled up Saleem Ahmed again, asking, “If there are no members and Ministers on the treasury bench side, what is it? How should the House be run? If you don't want, I will adjourn the House for tomorrow. What other work is there during the session? If there are no members and the seats are empty, how can the House run?”
Ravikumar continued to criticise the governing party, to which Congress MLC Ramesh Babu said that Congress legislators had been delayed as they had go for lunch.
The session then resumed with Horatti calling on BJP MLC AH Vishwanath to speak on the budget.
Horatti’s criticism came the very next day after Assembly Speaker Khader pulled up the government for failing to answer unstarred questions. He too adjourned house, saying that he would not hold the session until ministers and officials provided replies.
However, Home Minister G Parameshwara and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh met him later and assured him that officials had been directed to provide replies and action would be taken against officials who found to have caused undue delays.