Ashoka appeals for extension of House session
Opposition leader R Ashoka requests a one-week extension of Karnataka's winter assembly session to address unresolved public issues and pending legislation.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, R Ashoka, has asked speaker U T Khader to extend the ongoing winter session of the state legislature by 1 additional week, arguing that several unresolved issues required further discussion and legislative attention.
In a letter written on Monday, Ashoka said the current duration of the session was insufficient to address matters of public importance and to deliberate on pending legislation.
The winter session began in Belagavi on December 8 and is scheduled to conclude on December 19.
“It was decided to hold the winter session in Belagavi from December 8 to 19, but due to some reasons, the session has been shortened by 2 days,” Ashoka wrote.
His reference was to the assembly being adjourned on December 8 and again on December 15 after members observed condolences for the deaths of sitting legislators H Y Meti and Shamanuru Shivashankarappa.
Ashoka said multiple pressing issues affecting the state remained undiscussed.
“There are many burning issues concerning the state, pending discussion in the session. To find solutions to all these issues, I request you to extend the current session for another week,” he wrote.
The Assembly has spent much of the past week debating issues related to North Karnataka and its development, with regard to the recent agitation by farmers over crop prices, in addition to holding routine question and answer sessions. However, several Bills that have already been tabled are yet to be taken up for discussion or passage.
Belagavi, which borders Maharashtra, has hosted the Karnataka legislature once every year since 2006. The sessions are held at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, a structure modelled on Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha.
The building was constructed to underline Karnataka’s claim over Belagavi, a city that Maharashtra continues to assert belongs to it, along with some surrounding areas.
Despite the symbolic importance of holding the session in the border district, low attendance by legislators has persisted into the second week of proceedings.
On December 15, when the Assembly paid homage to its senior most MLA, Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, only about 50 members were present in the 224 member House. Roughly half of those in attendance were from the Opposition.
Attendance had also been a concern during the first week of the session, when the House recorded the presence of about 100 members. Opposition legislators again accounted for nearly half that number. The ruling Congress currently holds 135 seats in the Assembly, excluding the 2 members who passed away.
The thin presence of legislators has raised questions about the effectiveness of holding the session in Belagavi, particularly when the stated objective is to focus on issues specific to North Karnataka. Even debates devoted to the region’s development have seen limited participation from members.
