Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 22 : Karnataka Leader of Opposition and BJP leader R Ashoka on Thursday urged Speaker U T Khader to take strict action against those who allegedly blocked Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's way as he was departing the House following a brief address to a joint session of the legislature earlier today.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker, Ashoka said, "According to Rule-27 of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly's procedure and conduct, procedure to be followed during the Governor's address: when both Houses of the Legislative Assembly are sitting under Article 175 or 176 of the Constitution or when only the members of the Legislative Assembly are sitting under Article 175, no member shall, by making any speech or taking any action, interrupt or cause disruption to the Governor's address during the Governor's address, whether before or after the Governor's address, and such interruption or disruption shall be considered a serious breach of the order of the House and the Speaker shall deal with it accordingly at the next sitting of the Legislative Assembly."
"I request that disciplinary action be taken immediately against the members of the Legislative Assembly/Legislative Council who showed disrespect to the Governor during his departure, as per the said rules," he said.
In a post on X, the BJP leader said that today marked one of the darkest days in the history of the Karnataka Legislature.
"The Governor of Karnataka Thaawarchand Gehlot, arrived at the Joint Session of the Legislature and discharged his constitutional duty by presenting the Governor's Address, as mandated by the Constitution. However, @INCKarnataka legislators behaved in a manner unbecoming of a democratic House - resorting to unruly, street-level conduct that showed blatant disrespect to the Constitution, the office of the Governor, and the dignity of the Legislature itself. By wilfully disrupting the Governor's Address, they trampled upon established conventions, rules, and parliamentary decorum, bringing disrepute to the House," Ashoka said.
"What is even more shameful is that this disgraceful precedent was led by none other than one of the senior-most members of the House and the Law Minister HK Patil. A Law Minister endorsing and participating in such conduct is deeply disturbing. HK Patil has forfeited all moral authority to continue in that office even for a moment longer. It must also be stated clearly that the Governor tabling the address due to disruptions is not unprecedented. Former Governors of Karnataka such as Khurshid Alam Khan and Hansraj Bharadwaj have done similarly in the past. Equally appalling was the conduct of Legislative Council member Hariprasad BK, whose aggressive and unruly behaviour mirrored that of a hooligan, exposing the true political culture of the Congress party," he added.
Ashoka said that the events of today constitute a grave assault on the dignity of Karnataka's Legislature.
"I have therefore written to the Speaker, UT Khader, urging him to take strict action against Congress legislators who indulged in this shameful, unconstitutional, and mob-like behaviour that undermines democratic institutions," he added.
Earlier today, the Governor reportedly read to the joint session of the Legislative Assembly, only the first and last lines of his customary address and left the Assembly.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the State Government will protest the attitude of the Governor and will consider whether to approach the Supreme Court over Gehlot's action.
Congress leader BK Hariprasad attempted to stop the Governor at the assembly gate and asked him to complete reading the speech, a demand Gehlot refused.
Following the incident, Congress MLAs and MLCs raised slogans against the Governor, condemning the act.
Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the rationale behind the Governor's move, asking whether "the Governor's office has become the BJP office."
"... Who is violating articles 176 and 163? All we have stated are facts in our governor's speech... There is not a single lie there, still the governor does not want to read it... Has the governor's office become the BJP office?...," Kharge stated.
He called the address, the constitutional duty of the Governor, stating that the speech comprised only matters of state interest, already presented before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is his constitutional mandate to do so. I don't know why he is backing out of it...Even if one paragraph is a lie or fiction, don't read it. These 11 paragraphs are already being debated in public. The same paragraphs have been submitted to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and RDPR Minister," he stated.
"What is wrong with it? It's already in the public domain. He is merely stating the public's concerns. If he is not bothered about the people of Karnataka, then he is free to go wherever he wants," Kharge said.
He further stated that if the governor does not want to read the speech on state concerns, the speech should be made public so they can decide whether it is "fact or fiction." He alleged that the governor is being ordered by higher authorities to take such steps and questioned his "independence."
State law Minister Patil termed it "a black day in the history of democracy."
"A governor who is supposed to be the guardian of the Constitution has failed to do his duty. He is liable to address the joint session of the Assembly. He has insulted the Constitution. We will take an appropriate decision," Patil said.
Later, Chief Minister Siddaramiah said, "...Every new year the Governor has to address the joint session of Assembly, had the speech prepared by the Cabinet. This is a constitutional requirement. Today, instead of reading the speech prepared by the Cabinet, the Governor read the one he himself prepared. This is in violation of the Constitution of India. It violates Articles 176 and 163 of the Indian Constitution. He has not discharged his duties as per the Constitution.
The Chief Minister added, "Therefore, we are going to protest against the attitude of the Governor. We are examining whether or not to approach the Supreme Court."
Meanwhile, Speaker Khadar dismissed the allegations of conflict between the Governor and the state government.
Addressing mediapersons, Khadar said, "... The constitutional bodies will support each other... The governor's office is a constitutional body... They will work together... There is no conflict (between the governor and the government)..."