Karnataka: Speakar disqualified 3 rebel MLAs
BANGALURU : Two days after the HD Kumaraswamy government lost the trust vote, Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday disqualified Independent MLA R Shankar, who had resigned from the Congress.
Today’s disqualifications bring down the strength of the House to 221, and the majority mark slides to 112.The BJP, which currently has 105 members, is not inclined to form a minority government, party spokesman G Madhusudan had indicated.
The move came even as the BJP is yet to stake claim to form the government, with the state unit looking to the central leadership for its go-ahead. The BJP showed no hurry to stake claim to form the next government as the number game may not be done with both the resignations of rebel Congress and JDS MLAs and the pleas for their disqualification still pending with Kumar.
The 14-month old Congress-JDS government collapsed on Tuesday after losing the confidence motion moved by Kumaraswamy in the Assembly after a struggle for power for three weeks. Former CM and congress leader Siddaramaiah says speaker’s decision was essential for protection of democracy. Such stringent resolutions are essential for the protection of democracy.
Former Deputy CM G Parmeshwara said”I welcome the decision of the speaker to suspend Ramesh Jarkiholi, R Shankar and Mahesh Kumathalli for leaving the party for power and making people laugh at the people of the country. The behavior of rebel lawmakers has sparked outrage of people over politics.”
Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said he was convinced that the resignations by the three members were not voluntary and genuine and he had therefore rejected them and proceeded to disqualify them under schedule 10 of the the anti-defection law.
Regarding the disqualification, the speaker has said that none of the three MLAs can contest elections till the term of this house is complete (May 2023). They cannot contest if there is a by-election on these seats either. However, the decision of the speaker can be challenged.
“Anti-defection law cannot be used by political parties as a monstrous law. It is a provision to curb the evil of defection. Eeven that resignation was not in order. Disqualification is admonishing. When you are disqualified, you cannot seek…there was no consistency in his statement. I had asked him to file another affidavit, even that was not in order. I am setting a new precedent, let the lawmakers open their eyes and know about it,” Speaker KR Ramesh Announced.
Three of the 17 lawmakers responsible for bringing down the coalition government of the Congress and HD Kumaraswamy’s Janata Dal Secular have been disqualified by Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar. Two of them — Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathahalli — belonged to the Congress and had resigned earlier this month. The other, R Shankar, the legislator from Ranebennur, is one of the two Independents who supported the government but switched sides. The Speaker said he had merged his party with the Congress, and so was effectively with the Congress.
The 15 legislators of the coalition resigned earlier this month, bringing down the government, which lost the test of strength in the state assembly on Tuesday. If the Speaker does not accept their resignation, the lawmakers would remain members of the assembly and majority mark will remain high.
In such a situation, placing the state under President’s Rule is one of the alternatives for the Governor, he had indicated.”If the Speaker takes longer time to accept or reject the resignations of the rebels, the Governor (Vajubhai Vala) may recommend President’s rule in the state, as we will not like to stake claim to power in such a situation,” IANS quoted G Madhusudan as saying.
If the resignations of the rebel lawmakers are accepted, the strength of the house comes down to 105. But till the rebels are re-elected as BJP legislators, the BJP will be compelled to run a minority government.(With Inputs from Bangaluru Bureau).
