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Assembly passes five bills even as Opposition holds day-long protest
Leader of the Opposition R Ashok, along with other BJP legislators, initiated the protest immediately after Khan began to address a query during the Question Hour
Bengaluru
Amidst the day-long protest from the combined Opposition, the Karnataka legislative assembly on Monday passed five bills, including the Karnataka Stamps (Amendment) Bill. Four of the bills were adopted without any discussion.
Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) legislators staged a protest in the House, demanding the removal of minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan over remarks related to the Speaker’s chair. Despite the opposition’s refusal to return to their seats, Speaker UT Khader proceeded with the agenda of considering bills.
The Karnataka Stamps (Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the stamp duty rate on various documents, was adopted. The bill aims to align the stamp duty rate in Karnataka with other states and improve the financial status.
The GST Bill, designed to replace an ordinance, incorporates changes due to amendments in the Central GST (Amendment) Act 2023. The Karnataka Compulsory Service by Candidates Completed Medical Courses (Amendment) Bill, adopted by the House, seeks to exempt MBBS graduates from compulsory rural service upon their selection for central or state Government jobs. The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill aims to comply with the Karnataka high court’s directive on population limits for wards of taluk and zilla panchayats, ensuring timely elections. The Karavali Development Board Bill, 2023 aims at formulating an annual plan for the development of Karnataka’s coastal area, a pre-poll promise of the ruling Congress.
The BJP staged a day-long protest in the assembly, demanding removal of housing, wakf, and minority welfare minister Zameer Ahmed Khan over controversial remarks made during the recent election campaign in Telangana.
While campaigning in Telangana, Zameer said BJP MLAs now show respect to the “Muslim Speaker” in Karnataka assembly due to the Congress fielding 17 Muslim candidates in the elections. He specifically mentioned UT Khader, saying, “No one (from the Muslim community) in the history of Karnataka had become the Speaker of the assembly. Congress party made UT Khader the assembly Speaker. Today the best-of-the-best BJP leaders stand before Khader saying ‘Sahab Namaskar’. Who made him? It’s Congress,” Khan told a gathering.
The protest intensified when Khan rose to respond during the Question Hour, with opposition leaders demanding his dismissal, accusing him of disrespecting the Speaker’s chair. Leader of the Opposition R Ashok, along with other BJP legislators, initiated the protest immediately after Khan began to address a query during the Question Hour. Ashok called for Zameer’s removal from the Cabinet, leading to a demonstration by BJP and JD(S) legislators who entered the well of the House.
“He (Zameer) has brought disrepute to the Speaker’s chair,’” BJP’s C N Ashwath Narayan said. Ashok said the minister was not worthy to be an MLA.
Speaker Khader adjourned the assembly to hold talks with leaders from both parties, aiming to restore order. However, the protest continued even after the resumption of proceedings. Chief minister Siddaramaiah defended Zameer and accused the BJP of obstructing the House to divert attention from other issues, including the central government’s failure to provide drought relief funds. “He has not used any unconstitutional words… If the issue was of vital importance, why didn’t the BJP legislators raise it when the session convened last week?” he asked.
Later in the day, the CM’s office released a statement saying the BJP MLAs are staging protests and obstructing the proceedings of the assembly only to divert people’s attention from their party’s internal conflicts and the central government’s failure to provide drought relief. “The main purpose of conducting a session of the legislative assembly once a year in Suvarna Soudha, Belagavi is to discuss and find solutions to the pressing issues of the people of North Karnataka. By not allowing such discussions, the BJP legislators are acting as traitors of the people of North Karnataka,” read the statement.
