K'taka: Assembly summoned without any reason

Bangalore, Mar 14: Janata Dal (United) leader J C Madhuswamy andKannada Chaluvali Vatal Party leader Vatal Nagaraj today staged a walkout alleging that the government was misusing the office of the Speakerand pressurised him to convene the House two days in advance withoutany specific reason.

Raising the issue after the House assembled the members questionedthe reasons behind advancing the Budget Session by two days and saideven the Speaker was kept in dark about this. It amounted to insultingthe Speaker, they contended.

Senior Congress member and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar came totheir rescue and said the right to convene the Assembly only restedwith the Speaker and none else. If there was no agenda for the day ifreflected on the Speaker's office, he felt adding that specific reasonsshould have been mentioned while summoning the Assembly.

Independent member Jayaprakash Hegde said he came to know aboutthe Assembly session only through the media and said the Speaker'soffice had not informed him about it. "But for the media, It would nothave been possible for me to attend the Session," he remarked.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M P Prakash said thegovernment had written to the Speaker's office well in advance andhence the Session was legal and constitutional. Speaker Krishna tooinformed the House that he had received the letter and had convened theSession accordingly.

Mr Madhuswamy and Mr Nagaraj staged a walk out saying that theywere protesting against 'helplessness' of the Speaker on the issue.

Even as the house was discussing the issue, Opposition Leader NDharam Singh surprisingly moved a resolution with regard to CauveryWater Tribunal Verdict and said the State was committed to fight theissue legally and constitutionally. His party leader Siddaramaiahseconded the resolution and urged the speaker to take up the issue fordiscussion immediately.

However, Mr Prakash and others suggested that the issue bediscussed in the Business Advisory Committee first to explore the waysfor discussion. The House was adjourned till lunch to enable BAC tofinalise the issue.

UNI

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