K'taka Assembly adjourned for the day amidst noisy scenes

Bangalore, Feb 19 (UNI) The crisis in the Karnataka Assembly continued today with the Opposition Congress continuing its dharna demanding immediate election of Chairman to the Legislative Council, forcing Deputy Speaker N Y Gopalakrshna to adjourn the House for the day without transacting any official business.

As soon as the House assembled, Congress members, led by Leader of the Opposition N Dharam Singh, trooped to the well of the House and continued their dharna and slogan shouting. The Deputy Speaker adjourned the House for half-an-hour, amidst noisy scenes.

When the House re-assembled in the afternoon, Congress members continued their dharna, forcing another adjournment.

When the Assembly met again, Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj staged a walk out in protest against not conducting the House and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader G V Srirama Reddy urged the Deputy Speaker to go ahead with the agenda as the House was to discuss several important topics such as drought and law and order. No proceedings had been conducted in the House since February one, he pointed out.

With the Congress members unrelenting, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Both state Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who attended the all party leaders meeting in the Speaker's chambers later, talking to mediapersons, clarified that they had not put forth any condition to the Congress for holding the election. ''If the Opposition is ready, we are ready to even consider revoking the suspension of members in the Upper House,'' Mr Yediyurappa remarked.

UNI