Amid tabling of the cow slaughter bill, chaos broke out at the Karnataka Legislative Council on Tuesday, December 15. Congress MLCs were seen manhandling the Deputy Chairman SL Dharme Gowda from his seat.
The Congress legislators manhandled the chairman saying it was unconstitutional of him to occupy the chair after which the marshals were summoned to intervene.
In a video, members of the council are seen surrounding the Chair and Deputy chairperson Dharme Gowda of the Janata Dal-Secular was forced out of his seat.
Why was the Dy Chairman pushed by Congress MLCs?
- The Karnataka Legislative Council was called for a day-long session on Tuesday, December 15.
- The ruling BJP, backed by the JDS, was likely to insist on its no-confidence motion against Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty, a Congress leader.
- The BJP argued that Shetty cannot preside over the proceedings since a no-confidence was being brought against him. It said that the deputy Chairman should preside of the proceedings in such a case.
- When Dharme Gowda took the chair, Congress MLCs created a ruckus heckled and pushed him from the chair.
'Do they have any decency left in them?': Gowda on Congress leaders
Speaking to reporters at his chamber, Gowda said, "Do they (Congress leaders) have any decency left in them? These people dragged me and shoved me around. This is not the way to behave with a person who is sitting on that chair."
He claimed that his sitting on the chairman's seat was constitutional as the incumbent council chairman, K. Pratapchandra Shetty, had not only lost the mandate after JD(S) decided to back the BJP, but also the BJP had already moved a no-confidence motion against him.
"According to the legislature norm, it is not correct on his part to come and sit on the chair when a no-confidence motion has been moved against him," he said in response to a question.
Answering a query, Gowda asserted that he sat on the chair after the government directed him to sit on it. "Whether I sat on the chair as the bell rang or stopped is another matter. But the matter of fact is that Shetty had no business to come and occupy the chair when I was sitting," he said.
It may be recalled that the BJP had earlier served a notice of no-confidence but the council chairman had adjourned the house on December 10, saying it was not meeting the minimum 14-day rule requirement.
After the BJP went to the Governor, a single day session of the council to remove the chairman as well as pass the controversial Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020 was to be taken up for consideration.
(With inputs from wires)
