Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna’s resignation rocked the state legislature’s both Houses on Tuesday as BJP members sought an explanation for his “hasty removal” from the Cabinet, which followed his claim that the ruling Congress had failed to monitor irregularities that occurred in the Mahadevapura constituency’s voter list.
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The issue was raised in both the Legislative Assembly and the Council when proceedings of the Monsoon Session resumed in the morning. R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, sought to know why the minister was “sacked” from the Cabinet and urged treasury benches to not “keep the Opposition in the dark”.
BJP legislator S Suresh Kumar said that the Government should have informed members of the legislature about the development, rather than having them learn about it from the media. Opposition MLAs demanded a response from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. BJP and JD(S) MLCs made similar demands in the Legislative Council.
Both Assembly Speaker U T Khader and Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti said they would ensure that the Government responds to the legislators’ queries once the Question Hour concluded.
Speaking in the Council, Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said the Opposition would not have had any qualms if the minister had put in his papers for personal reasons. “But when he is sacked, we should know why? Was he involved in corruption? Has he committed any grave mistakes,” he said.
Minor Irrigation Minister N S Boseraju, who is the leader of the House in the Council, said that appointing ministers or removing them from the Cabinet was left to the chief minister’s discretion. “There is no need to give an explanation,” he said, leading to a din, after which Horatti adjourned the Council for lunch.
In the Assembly, BJP leaders demanded that the chief minister reveal why Rajanna was sacked, even as Law and Parliamentary Affairs H K Patil rose to reply on Siddaramaiah’s behalf. “When any minister goes out of the Cabinet or the council of ministers, they have the preference to make a statement. Besides that, there is no provision to discuss this or give an explanation. Such incidents have happened in the past and we have not discussed them,” he said.
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Patil sought to compare the episode with Jagdeep Dhankhar’s recent resignation as vice-president. “Was the issue discussed (in Parliament)?” he asked.
This did not sit well with Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad, who said the vice-president’s resignation was not similar to Rajanna’s. “What crime did he commit?” the BJP MLA asked about the former Congress minister.