Bengaluru: A day before new Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa seeks a trust vote in the state Assembly, Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Sunday disqualified 14 Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) legislators who had resigned from the House and also banned them from contesting polls till the tenure of the present Assembly ends in 2023.
With this, the total number of disqualified MLAs has risen to 17 bringing down the strength of the House to 207 and the half-way mark to 104.
The disqualification could therefore come as a blessing in disguise for the ruling BJP as it has the support of 106 MLAs (including one Independent) ensuring it has crossed the half-way mark. The Congress-JD(S) combine has the support of only 100 MLAs (excluding the Speaker) giving enough indications of which way the trust vote on Monday is likely to go. The BJP slammed the Speaker’s action, calling it “unfair and violative of the law”.
Last week, Mr Kumar had disqualified three MLAs — Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi and Mr Mahesh Kumatalli of the Congress, and Ranebennur KPJP MLA R. Shankar (who later merged with the Congress) for violating the whip issued by their party.
Addressing a hurriedly-called press conference on Sunday, the Speaker said Congress Legislature Par-ty leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao had filed four petitions against the rebel MLAs seeking their disqualification since they had violated the whip issued by the party.
Former CM H.D. Kuma-raswamy had filed another petition seeking similar action against three rebel JD(S) legislators. All legislators were issued notices to personally appear on specified dates; but none of them turned up.
After going through several judgments, the Speaker said he had decided to disqualify Pratap Gouda Patil (Maski), B.C. Patil (Hirekerur), Shiva-ram Hebbar (Yellapur), S.T. Somashekar (Yesvant-pur), Byrathi Basavaraj (KR Puram), Anand Singh (Vijaynagar), Roshan Baig (Shivajinagar), N Munira-tna (Raja Rajeshwari Nagar) , Dr K Sudhakar (Chikballapur), Srimanth Patil (Kagawad), M.T.B. Nagaraj (Hosakote), all Congress MLAs and A.H. Vishwanath (Hunsur), Narayana Gowda (KR Pete) and N Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmipuram)
Asked whether the disqualified legislators can question his decision in a court of law, the Speaker said. “I have done my job, I am not worried (about its consequences). I will be vindicated if the court upholds my decision and I will stand corrected if my decision is changed. I have discharged my duty in the given situation and not acted under any pressure.”
Replying to a question regarding the BJP’s reported plan to move a motion of no-confidence against him, he said, “Whatever I have done is purely as per the law, let the next Speaker ponder over it,” dropping broad hints that he is planning to step down on Monday.
The Speaker also made it clear that there are only two items on the agenda of the session on Monday—one, the CM seeking a vote of confidence and two, the debate and voting on the finance bill which needs to be passed by Tuesday.
Reacting to the verdict disqualifying them, Hunsur JD(S) rebel MLA A.H. Vishwanath remark-ed that the Speaker had announced his decision in a hurry and it seemed like he was under great pressure to pronounce his decision at the earliest. “We will definitely question this decision in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Another rebel MLA, Mr Pratap Gouda Patil said they had expected this decision after the Speaker disqualified three legislators last week. This was not the end for them as they have already decided to question the Speaker's decision in the apex court, he added.
However, Mr Siddaramaiah, in a tweet, hailed the Speaker's decision describing it as "a victory for democracy." In another tweet he said the order will send a strong message to elected representatives across the country who might fall into the “BJP's trap”.
The BJP slammed the Speaker’s action, calling it “unfair and violative of the law” which, it said, had been taken “yielding to the pressure from a party”.
“It is a motivated and defective order," said senior BJP leader Govind Karjol, adding, the rebels would challenge it in the Supreme Court, where they were certain to "get justice.”
