‘Elders’ end up in fist-fighting and hurling abuses

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Council, which is considered as the House of Elders, witnessed a new low as its members pushed, pulled and abused each other this morning. 

High drama prevailed as Congress members physically dragged Deputy Chairman S.L. Dharmegowda (JD-S) from the Chairman’s Chair in a bid to prevent Council Chairman K. Pratapachandra Shetty (Congress) from presiding over today’s proceedings.

The Special Council Session was called today to get the Anti-Cow Slaughter Bill passed in the Upper House as the State Government ended the Legislative Session last Thursday. Under the garb of the Bill, the BJP had planned to unseat Pratapachandra Shetty by moving a no confidence motion against him. 

Accordingly, Dharmegowda of the JD(S) occupied the chair before Shetty arrived. This angered the Congress as Dharmegowda would have allowed the no-confidence motion against Shetty to be taken up. 

The standing procedure has been switching on the bell till the minimum number of members is present inside the House. Later, the bell is stopped and this is when the Chairman enters the Hall to preside. A section of BJP and JD(S) members had blocked the door from which the Chairman enters the Hall.

But Congress MLCs led by C. Narayanaswamy and Srinivas Mane forced Dharmegowda out of the chair by pulling him, even as the BJP tried to stop this. In the melee, MLCs were seen fist-fighting and hurling abuses. Slogans were raised and papers were torn. The Council Marshals could do little as MLCs were too enraged. 

Having physically removed Dharmegowda from the chair, Congress’ Chandrashekar Patil occupied it with the party’s MLCs standing guard. They wanted Shetty to occupy it, even as BJP MLCs protested. Finally, Shetty managed to trudge past the pushing and shoving. “I am adjourning the session sine die,” he said and left.

Before the session began, Opposition Leader in the Legislative Assembly and CLP Leader Siddharamaiah held a meeting with his party MLCs and adopted a strategy to prevent the BJP-JD(S) combine from hijacking today’s proceedings.

Today’s session was convened under the pressure of State government. Shetty had similarly adjourned the session sine die on Dec. 10, following which the BJP had petitioned the Governor.