Karnataka legislature session likely to be stormy

The Karnataka assembly session beginning on Monday is likely to be stormy with the opposition

set to corner the BJP government on a host of issues such as alleged misuse of police against political opponents and the

handling of anti-CAA protests. Anand Singh's appointment as forest minister despite

several cases pending against him and slapping of sedition charges are also expected to be raised during the first

session of the year. Both the and main opposition Congress held meetings on

Saturday to draw their strategy for the session which will commence with Governor Vajubhai Vala addressing joint sitting

of the legislative assembly and the Council and conclude on February 20.

It will then meet for the nearly month-long budget session from March 2, with the budget presentation on March 5.

This will the first budget of the present BJP government after coming to power last year and the fifth for Yediyurappa,

who holds the Finance portfolio. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri has decided to hold a

special discussion on March 2 and 3 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution.

Though his expectation is that the discussion should focus on the intent, specialty of the constitution and MLAs to take

part in it, rising above party politics, there are apprehensions issues like CAA and NRC may figure in the

debate. Kageri has also made it clear the bar on media from

telecasting House proceedings will continue in this session also and that the public broadcaster, like in the previous

one, will provide live feed to private TV channels. He has said he was merely implementing the system that

exists in Parliament, being followed in several other states. The session will also be the first after the December 5

bypolls that saw 11 of the 13 disqualified Congress-JD(S) legislators winning on BJP tickets after defecting from their

respective parties, and ten of them being made Ministers. "We wanted to enter the very assembly from which we were

disqualified, as Ministers. Most of us will now be entering as Ministers, after re-election," one of the new ministers said.

BJP will face the session with a sense of stability after the bypolls and keeping up the promise of making the

victorious defectors as Ministers. Opposition parties, especially Congress, which has termed

the government 'ineffective', are expected to corner it on the alleged poor state of finances and "failure" in getting

Karnataka's share of central funds on time, despite having the same party government at the Centre.

Congress is also likely to target the government accusing it of targeting BJP's opponents and those criticising its

"divisive policies". The principal opposition party had indicated it will

raise the issue in the assembly. The party had taken out a protest march and attempted to

lay siege to Chief Ministers office on Saturday. Alleging that false cases were being filed under sections

like sedition against political opponents and those opposing CAA and NRC like Congress leader U T Khader and a student from

Mysuru University, opposition leader Siddaramaiah has pointed out that ruling party leaders like Somashekara Reddy and Anant

Kumar Hegde were not booked, despite "inflammatory speeches". The opposition is also likely to raise the issue of

alleged attempts by police to hush up a road mishap case, reportedly involving a Minister's son, in which one person was

killed in Ballari district. Anand Singh's appointment as Minister for Forests,Ecology

and Environment, despite several cases pending against him, including under the Karnataka Forest Act, is also likely to be

raised by the opposition to attack the government. The opposition too is faced with its "weaknesses" ahead

of the session, as Congress continues to remain in a "virtual vacuum" with new President and Legislature Party leader yet to

be announced, and JD(S) too allegedly facing internal differences after the fall of the coalition government.

Though Siddaramaiah resigned as CLP leader after the party's rout in the bypolls, he is expected to continue as

leader of the opposition during the session as his resignation has not yet been accepted by the Congress high command.

Six Bills are expected to be tabled during the session, including an amendment to the Lokayukta Act, to allow the

incumbent Lokayukta to recuse from looking into a case that involves conflict of interest.

Congress held meetings of senior party MLAs and its Legislature Party and decided to take on the government on the

issues of flood and drought relief and "indiscriminate" use of sedition charges, a senior leader said.

In both the meetings, attended among others by Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Dr G Parameshwara and D K

Shivakumar, it was decided to raise a protest if any reference to the Citizenship Amendment Act was made in the Governor's

address, he told PTI. The BJP too held its legislative party meeting where it

firmed up its strategy to counter the opposition. Law and order, flood relief measures, getting the bills

cleared and a few other issues were discussed, BJP sources said.