Karnataka assembly has been witnessing an uproar, with a chunk of MLAs from the ruling parties submitting their resignation, whisked away in the secured walls of a BJP ruled Mumbai fort, even as the speaker disqualifies them. All the ministers save the CM submit their resignations to offer the berths to the rebel MLAs as inducements, as the startled CM rushes back to the state from the US, where he went for, ostensibly his last holiday.
The speaker rejects most of the resignation letters, raising technical error issues and demands a personal interview of each of the resigned MLA. As usual, petitions are filed in the Supreme Court which fixed 6 pm yesterday to the speaker to decide the status of the resigned MLAs. It was funny to see some of the over-weight MLAs running into the assembly, to beat the deadline set up by the Court.
The speaker meets each one, takes the resignation letters and admits that they are in order, but adds that ‘he has to take his own time,’ to decide the fate of the MLAs, throwing a gauntlet at the Supreme Court, asserting that it was a speaker’s prerogative alone to resolve matters pertaining the assembly.
My take: The Karnataka Assembly was not in session, and the bizarre episodes cannot be construed as a part of the session proceedings. The speaker overstretched his powers disobeying the Supreme Court, which directed the speaker to decide the fate of by 6 pm on Thursday the 11the July 2019. He may have reasons to delay: the MLAs could be given counter offers by the ruling party and induced to return, or to willfully invite the wrath of the Supreme Court and the Centre to promulgate Presidents rule and play martyrs.
Surely the authors of the Indian constitution may not have foreseen such crafty manoeuvres and wizardry by the legislators in cocking a snook at the rule book, and it is time for a revisit to such brazen disrespect for people’s mandate.
The question foremost is, what is prime in an election? Whether it is the party symbol or the individual candidates? If people get elected from party symbol and resign during the intervening period of the mandated period, they should forfeit their position and should stand for re-election. People helplessly watching aghast at the happenings must have the right to recall of recalcitrant legislators.
The latest news coming in is that the Supreme Court has given time to the speaker until Tuesday to untangle the imbroglio.
The whispers from Vidhana Soudha is, Rs. 40-50 crores could be the going price of a legislator’s shift in loyalty, which could go higher until Tuesday.
Shame and a blot on democracy!
Intrépide Voix
Sampath Kumar
