Bengaluru: Recent Income Tax raids on the all powerful family of SSI minister, Ramesh Jarkiholi resulted in heated arguments between ruling Congress and opposition BJP members in the Assembly with the BJP staging a walkout demanding the minister’s resignation.
Demanding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drop Mr Jarkiholi from his cabinet until he is proven innocent, leader of opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar sought permission to move an adjournment motion against the state government over the recent IT raids.
Vehemently opposing the adjournment motion, ministers T. B. Jayachandra and Kagodu Thimmappa argued that IT raids do not come under the purview of the state government. “Hence, the adjournment motion should not be permitted in this case,” the ministers argued. However, Mr Shettar asserted that the tainted minister, Mr Jarkiholi himself had conceded that he owned property worth Rs 115 crore which was not declared in his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission in 2013. This was reason enough to drop him from the cabinet.
Disagreeing with Mr Shettar, Mr Jayachandra and Mr Thimmappa asserted that Mr Shettar needs to ask his party MPs in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha to raise this issue as it was only the Union government which was capable of giving a reply on this subject.
Hearing this, Mr Shettar alleged that the state government was trying to run away from its vicarious responsibility and led his partymen in a walkout.
House in splits!
Health and Family welfare minister, Ramesh Kumar made an unusual demand which left the House in splits. Participating in the debate, Mr Kumar demanded that Speaker K.B. Koliwad order an impartial inquiry into the assets and liabilities affidavit submitted by all MLAs in the state. To this, Mr Koliwad replied that he cannot act on his own and he can only when the Assembly passes an unanimous resolution to this effect.
Hearing this, Mr Kumar who himself was Speaker once, quipped: “If you (Mr Koliwad) are trying to evade this by not ordering an inquiry, that would mean even your affidavit is full of discrepancies, hence, you must pass an order.” Hearing this, the entire House broke into laughter.
