Uproar in Karnataka House

BANGALORE, Oct 29 (PTI) — The Karnataka Assembly session opened here today on a stormy note with acrimonious exchanges and a dharna by opposition BJP triggered off by certain remarks made by a minister.

The day began with a rumpus in the House with the opposition Congress and BJP pressing the Speaker, Mr Ramesh Kumar, to suspend question hour, permit discussions on the notices of no-confidence motion moved by them and on the adjournment motions they had sought to move on several issues, including the Sira riots and Cauvery water sharing.

A Congress leader, Mr M. Mallikarjuna Kharge, and the BJP group leader, Mr K.S. Eswarappa, made forceful pleas to the Chair that the debate on the no-confidence motions moved by them should top the day’s proceedings and insisted that the Chief Minister, Mr J.H. Patel was 'duty bound' to prove his majority in the House before getting on to other legislative business.

Mr Kharge and Mr Eswarappa said their parties were not prepared to accept replies from the Patel ministry, which, according to them, had been reduced to minority in the wake of revolt in the ruling Janata Dal.

The House witnessed uproar and slogan shouting by the BJP, which launched a dharna in protest against remarks by the Agriculture Minister, Mr C. Byre Gowda, who blamed the Centre’s policy of banning export of onion and potato, which had resulted in fall in prices in some areas of the state.

Mr B.S. Yediyurappa of the BJP said his party was against the Patel ministry replying to issues raised by the Opposition as it had lost majority and the motion should be put to vote without debate.

He said the Janata Dal government, which he dubbed as 'anti-farmer', had no right to govern.

Even as the Congress and BJP leaders were making their submissions to convince the Speaker of the need to suspend question hour, a remark by Mr Eswarappa that the 'Congress and Janata Dal were in the habit of involving themselves in internal bickerings', infuriated the Congress members, who protested vociferously, plunging the House into pandemonium.

Rumpus broke out after some time when Mr Yediyurappa alleged that the loyalists of Mr Patel have been indulging in horsetrading, attracting the fury of ruling party members.

The Law Minister, Mr M.C. Nanaiah, who rose on a point of order, said the remarks by Mr Yediyurappa show legislators in'poor light and a purchasable commodity' and wanted the BJP leader to withdraw the remark.

With several ruling party members demanding that Mr Yediyurappa withdraw his remarks, Mr H.N. Nanje Gowda (BJP) defused the situation, saying it was not unparliamentary and the term was in use for several years.

The Chief Minister said he was ready to face the motion and reply to the debate, but sought at least three days' time.

Later, the Speaker asked the opposition leaders to move their no-confidence motion and admitted both motions.

The House plunged into uproar and witnessed a dharna by the BJP members, who trooped into the well, ostensibly irked by the statements of Agriculture Minister, who blamed the Centre’s policy of banning export of onion and potato, when the House was discussing the law and order situation in Sira town.

Meanwhile, the BJP said it would support the no-confidence motion against the Patel Ministry in Karnataka even if the Congress motion got precedence over the one moved by it, according to a report from New Delhi.

"There is no question of BJP supporting either group of Janata Dal and it was the decision of the central and state leadership of the party that the Karnataka Government should go," party spokesman Venkaiah Naidu told newspersons here.