High drama in K'taka Council: Members get physical, Dy chairman pulled down

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Council witnessed high drama on Tuesday with BJP-JD(S) and Congress members hurling abuses and pushing each other and the Deputy Chairman being pulled down from the Chairman's seat, over a row pertaining to the no-confidence motion. Amid the pandemonium and chaos which many senior members termed as a "black mark" and "unprecedented" in the Council's over a century old history, it was adjourned sine die within minutes after it met for the day.

The ball now seems to be in the Governor Vajubhai Vala's court with both BJP and JD(S) jointly petitioning him and seeking his intervention to enable taking up of the no- confidence motion. After it was adjourned sine die on December 10, the House was convened for a day on Tuesday by the government which had even petitioned the Governor accusing the Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty of "abruptly" adjourning the session, without taking up the no-confidence motion against him.

The motion moved by BJP members did not find mention in the Council's agenda for Tuesday, as Shetty had rejected it citing procedural lapses and pointing out that no specific charges were made against him.

However, the ruling party members had been insisting that it be taken up. The BJP with the support of JD(S) had planned to remove Shetty as the chairman through the no-confidence motion. The ugly scenes began to unfold as Deputy Chairman Dharme Gowda (JDS) occupied the Chairman's seat, even before the Chairman arrived, and the quorum bell was still ringing.

This angered the Congress MLCs who rushed to the chair demanding that Dharme Gowda vacate the seat as he would have allowed the motion against Shetty. Following this, BJP and JD(S) members too rushed towards the Chair in his defence. This resulted in heated exchange, and pushing and pulling between members from both sides.

Even as this was happening, a few Congress members including Naseer Ahmed were seen trying to forcefully open the door through which the Chairman enters the house, accusing the ruling side of shutting it with an intention not to allow Chairman Shetty inside. Congress members accused the government of trying to start the proceedings with the help of the Deputy Chairman, even before the Chairman could arrive, with an intention to take up the motion against Shetty, which had been rejected by him.