Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 21: The Karnataka Assembly passed a Bill on Friday to suspend 18 BJP MLAs for six months due to their disruptive behavior during the proceedings. The Bill was presented by Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil.
The disruption occurred when BJP MLAs entered the Well of the House, tore papers, and threw them at the Speaker, UT Khader’s chair. This chaos happened amid the passing of the Bill granting four per cent reservation to minorities, including Muslims, in contract work.
Earlier in the day, the Assembly saw an uproar when Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna alleged an attempted honey trap against him. BJP legislators raised slogans and held CDs claiming to have proof of the alleged honey trap. The situation escalated as BJP members stormed into the Well of the House while Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was speaking.
R Ashoka, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, expressed concerns, stating, “It is not the issue of one party, it’s a biggest conspiracy against legislators who are working for the people, and some are doing this (honey trap) with a clear hidden agenda.”
In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended his government, stating that there was no question of protecting anyone involved in the alleged honey trap. He confirmed that G Parmeshwara had responded to the allegations made by Rajanna and had initiated an inquiry. He also emphasized that if Rajanna had named anyone in the complaint, appropriate action would have been taken. However, Rajanna did not name anyone, and therefore, no further action was warranted at that time.