Bengaluru: For the second consecutive day on Wednesday, Karnataka Legislative Assembly was rocked by the controversy over a luxury watch gifted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with JD(S) too joining BJP in pressing for discussion on the issue.
The House that was adjourned twice, passed the Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pension and Allowances (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015, amidst din.
As the Assembly met for the day, opposition BJP entered the well of the House and demanded that discussion on the issue be allowed and the Speaker reconsider his decision on allowing an adjournment motion on the issue.
"Chair should reconsider its decision; we have lot of things to discuss on this issue of public importance. Government is trying to close the issue," Opposition Leader Jagadish Shettar said.
Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa had yesterday rejected BJP's appeal to allow adjournment motion on the issue.
Sticking to his decision, Thimmappa today said there will be no reconsideration of the decision.
BJP then continued its protest, demanding that the affidavit, documents and receipt relating to the watch be made public by Dr Girish Chandra Verma, who is said to have gifted the watch to the Chief Minister.
Ruling Congress members led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jayachandra countered BJP's protest, accusing it of trying to question the Speaker's ruling.
Intervening, JD(S) leader Y S V Datta requested the Chair to allow a discussion on the issue in any other form as the adjournment motion has been overruled.
When government did not respond to the request positively JD(S) members too entered the well of the House in protest.
Questioning the "double standard" of the government, Shettar said Karnataka government has appealed against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa considering undeclared gifts received by her as illegal wealth in the disproportionate assets case, and questioned why no similar yardstick was being followed against Siddaramaiah.
As both opposition and treasury benches were involved in war of words, the House was adjourned by the Speaker, who called the floor leaders for a meeting.
When the House resumed, opposition members entered the well of the House and demanded that discussion on the issue be taken up immediately.
"Government is making it a prestige issue; there are lot of other issues like drought that need to be discussed. If government has nothing to hide, why are they shying away from discussion If they have guts let them agree for discussion," Shettar said.
Criticising the attitude of the government, Shettar also raised the issue of Power Minister D K Shivakumar reportedly directing police action against a "frustrated" individual who, on phone, rued about unscheduled power cuts.
The Speaker said there would be no special discussion on the issue, but opposition can debate it during the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address, and continued with the question hour amidst uproar in the House.
As the Speaker asked Ministers to lay the papers mentioned against their names on the table of the House and conducted proceedings, Shettar opposed it, saying the House was not in order.
He demanded that the case be investigated by a central agency so that truth is revealed.
Amidst sloganeering and protest by the opposition, the Speaker even allowed the introduction and passage of Karnataka Legislature Salaries, Pension and Allowances (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015, aimed at making provision to provide pension to family members of the member deceased before December 26, 1978 operative from February 22, 2014.
As the protest continued, the Speaker once again adjourned the House till afternoon.
