Bengaluru: Former speaker K.G. Bopaiah has been appointed pro-tem speaker of the newly constituted fifteenth Karnataka assembly.
The four-time BJP MLA from Virajpet in Kodagu district had held the speaker’s post when the BJP was in power. He succeeded Jagadish Shettar who had joined the cabinet after a rebellion led by G. Janardhan Reddy.
In 2010 when the internal squabble reached a flashpoint with some independents withdrawing support, Mr Bopaiah, then speaker, disqualified the five independents claiming that they had attended the BJPLP and hence became BJP associate members.
The Supreme Court, however, held the speaker’s act as unconstitutional and restored the membership of the independent members.
Meanwhile, in yet another late night development, the Congress and JDS moved the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the appointment of Mr Bopaiah as pro-tem speaker.
In its application both the parties said that pursuant to the orders passed by this court on Friday, the Governor has appointed a junior four time MLA of BJP Bopaiah as the pro tem Speaker in a shocking disregard to binding Parliamentary convention of appointing the senior most member of the House.
They alleged that Mr. Bopaiah has a dubious and controversial record of passing biased disqualification orders. The conduct of Mr. Bopaiah has been severely criticised and strictures have been passed against him by the court. The disqualification orders passed by him were also set aside as being vitiated with mala fides and undue haste. This is in the face of the admitted fact that the senior most MLA is currently serving his 8th tenure but has been overlooked.
The petitioners “reasonably apprehend” that the sole purpose of appointing a relatively junior member of the House is nothing but an attempt to seize and manipulate the floor test. There are grave and genuine concerns as far as the impartiality of the present pro tem Speaker is concerned.
The Chief Minister in tandem with the Government at the Centre is exercising influence through the Governor of the State to ensure that he sails through the floor test by hook or crook, in absolute disregard to Parliamentary practice and the well established convention of appointing the senior most member as the protem speaker, the petition said.
Further the manner in which preparations for the floor test is being carried out seems to suggest that it is being designed to replicate defections orchestrated by Mr. Yeddyurappa in 2008 when he was again short of majority, the petitioners contended.
