Bengluru: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday ratified the decision to revoke the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs. A motion to this effect was moved by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, which was approved by the Assembly with a voice vote.
On May 25, Speaker U T Khader had announced revoking the suspension of 18 legislators following a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil.
In an unprecedented move, 18 BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the Assembly on March 21, for showing “indiscipline” and “disrespecting” the Speaker, following which they were forcefully evicted from the House by the marshals as they refused to leave.
The MLAs whose suspension has been revoked are BJP chief whip Doddanagouda Patil, former Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan, S R Vishwanath, B A Basavaraju, M R Patil, Channabasappa, B Suresh Gowda, Umanath Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Dr Shailendra Beldale, C K Ramamurthy, Yashpal Suvarna, B P Harish, Bharath Shetty, Dheeraj Muniraju, Chandru Lamani, Muniratna and Basavaraj Mattimud.
Patil moved a motion seeking the Assembly’s approval to withdraw the resolution suspending 18 BJP members from the House for 6 months, during the 6th session (held in March), with effect from May 25.
Following this, the motion was put to a voice vote and then unanimously approved. The Minister said the suspension was revoked after Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, had requested the Speaker to withdraw it. He also spoke to the Chief Minister and other senior leaders.
The suspended members had also submitted a petition expressing regret. “Considering all this, a meeting was called by the Speaker (on May 25), and it was decided to withdraw the suspension of MLAs immediately so as to enable the MLAs discharge their duties, and to get this decision ratified during the session,” he added.
The incident leading to suspension had occurred on the last day of the assembly’s budget session; following the massive protest of BJP MLAs against 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts and demanding a judicial probe into alleged “honey-trap” attempt against Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna.
