Karnataka Assembly Speaker decides against distribution of speech copies fearing ruckus from BJP members

With Opposition BJP not allowing the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime to conduct the Assembly proceedings, Speaker Ramesh Kumar has decided not to give copies of Chief Minister H.D.Kumaraswamy’s Budget speech to MLAs on Friday.

The Speaker has taken this extraordinary measure to prevent BJP members from tearing the speech copies and littering the House. The members, officials and the media will have to access the Budget speech when it is made available online.

The ruling coalition expects chaos in the Assembly on Friday as the BJP has turned belligerent holding on to its position that the JD(S)-Congress regime has lost its majority to remain in office.


With seven disgruntled Congress MLAs staying away from the House proceedings despite warnings of consequences on Thursday too, the Congress is learnt to have decided to adopt a carrot and stick policy. It might opt to seek disqualification of some members, even as it is said to be working on a strategy of seeking resignation of some loyal ministers to accommodate some dissidents. That way, the party leaders believe, the coalition regime can be saved from further trouble.

The Congress has been gripped by tensions since Wednesday when seven of its MLAs first skipped the opening day of the Budget session. Between last month and now, the number of disgruntled Congress MLAs has swollen, at least, by three, rattling the Congress high command.

The Congress party has convened its legislature party (CLP) meeting has been at 9 am and the JD(S) its meeting at 9.30 am on Friday. A notice by CLP leader Siddaramaiah asking the rebel MLAs to attend the meeting or face action under the anti-defection law has been pasted on the doors of the legislator hostel rooms of the dissident MLAs.

According to sources, fearing the threat of disqualification two MLAs are expected to attend the House on Friday.