Speaker-MLAs spat leads to ugly scenes in assembly

BENGALURU: Close on the heels of violence in the Kerala house, the Karnataka assembly witnessed unseemly scenes after a quarrel between some legislators and speaker Kagodu Thimmappa.
Monday’s bedlam started when JD(S) member JK Krishna Reddy, who represents Chintamani, asked why funds for the Yettinahole project were not earmarked in the state budget.
Intervening in the debate, former minister Narendra Swamy said there was no need to earmark or specify an ongoing project in the budget when it had been announced last year.
Senior Congress member K R Ramesh Kumar came to the rescue of Reddy by asking the speaker to allow young legislators to voice their opinions. He said legislators from Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts are being pulled up by the people over the shortage of drinking water.
When Manjunath Gowda, who represents Malur in Kolar district, stood up, Thimmappa did not allow him to speak, leading to a furore.
“I never run the proceedings of the house on the whims of any person, or take orders from anyone. If you continue, I may have to take action. Be careful,’’ Thimmappa told Gowda angrily.
Irked by the speaker’s remark, Gowda used unparliamentary language. At this, Thimmappa ordered the marshals to remove him from the house.
When Ramesh Kumar, a former speaker, tried to intervene again, an annoyed Thimmappa shot back: “Stop giving a lecture. You have something to say all the time. I can’t allow you to speak now.’’
Ramesh Kumar hit back saying, “We have every right to speak. If you don’t allow me to speak, I may have to leave the house.” Thimmappa retorted: “Please leave.’’
This resulted in a furore as Ramesh Kumar, along with Manjunath Gowda, Sudhakar, Krishna Reddy and Subba Reddy, trooped into the well to stage a protest. BJP members joined them.
After Gowda made obscene gestures at the speaker, he was ordered to leave the house. Ramesh Kumar joined the protest, pushing aside minister D K Shiva Kumar, who tried to stop him.
As the exchange continued, the speaker adjourned the house for 10 minutes to let tempers cool down. But the protesting members refused to meet the speaker. Ramesh Kumar and the others left the assembly threatening to resign as legislators. “Why should we attend the house or be MLAs if we don’t have a voice?’’ Ramesh Kumar told reporters.
When the house reassembled, the furore had died down.