Belagavi Assembly session begins under tight security

Congress stages protest against installation of Savarkar’s portrait

Belagavi: Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar’s portrait was unveiled in Karnataka’s Suvarna Vidhana Soudha Assembly Hall this morning, the first day of the winter session of the Karnataka

Legislature in Belagavi. The Government unveiled six portraits of significant personalities in the Assembly Hall, one of which is of Veer Savarkar.

A security blanket has been thrown across Belagavi city for the session amid fears over the border row with Maharashtra and disruption due to protests by various communities. The entire city resembles a cantonment of sorts. Nearly 5,000 Policemen, including six Superintendents of Police, 11 Additional Superintendents of Police, 43 Deputy SPs, 95 Inspectors and 241 Sub-Inspectors, have been deployed for maintaining law and order in the city.

This morning, members of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samiti  (MES) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a protest near Kognoli Toll Plaza at Karnataka-Maharashtra border over the border issue.

This session is the last one of the current Assembly, as the elections are barely four months away. The proceedings are likely to see commotion inside the House with political parties trying to draw the attention of people with their protests.

Congress MLAs staged a protest along with Leader of Opposition Siddharamaiah against the installation of Veer Savarkar’s portrait. They have written to the Speaker to install portraits of personalities like Valmiki, Basavanna, Kanakadasa, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and many others.

KPCC President and MLA D.K. Shivakumar alleged that the BJP wanted the Assembly proceedings to be disrupted and it is because of this that they had installed a portrait of Veer Savarkar in the Assembly Hall.

“They want that our Assembly proceedings do not take place. They have brought this photo because we are going to raise a lot of corruption issues against them. They don’t have any development agenda,” he said.

Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Raghunath Rao Malkapure said 14 Bills are likely to be tabled in the House. The voter data theft issue is likely to be raised prominently during the session. Leader of the Opposition and former CM Siddharamaiah said that his party will raise several issues including voter data theft. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the Bill to replace the SC/ST Reservation Ordinance is one among a set of draft laws to be introduced.

More than 61 organisations have sought permission from the district administration to hold protests during the Assembly session. The security in the district has been tightened and vehicles from Maharashtra are being checked thoroughly.