BELAGAVI: The winter session at Survana Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi, starting from today, to debate and discuss issues related to North Karnataka is likely to be stormy as minister Tanveer Sait’s sleazegate, Janardhana Reddy’s daughter’s big fat wedding, demonetisation of currency notes and RSS workers’ murders across the state are likely to hijack it.
The ruling party and the opposition are likely to debate an array of issues including the drought situation, farmer suicides, sugarcane issue, Mahadayi row and the controversial steel flyover that has been strongly opposed by several citizens’ groups of Bengaluru.
The MES workers observing black day on Kannada Rajostava, the demand to supersede Belagavi City Corporation, attack on Kannadigas in Goa may also come up in the House.
Though a probe into Sait’s alleged sleazegate is on, the BJP and JD(S) leaders are demanding the education minister’s resignation. Opposition leader in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa and Opposition leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar have threatened to disrupt the House if Sait doesn’t step down from ministry.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy is now keen on expanding his party’s base in North Karnataka and is likely to raise major issues of North Karnataka region including Mahadayi row, plight of sugarcane growers and also about the prevailing drought that has resulted in farmer suicides.
Though Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has visited the drought-affected districts, nothing concrete has been done to waive farm loans. No initiative has been taken to boost the morale of the farming community.
Also, the opposition is not happy with the government’s decision of fixing `2,300 for per tonne sugar cane as they had pressed for `3,000 per tonne. The sugarcane growers have also planned to lay siege to Suvarna Vidhana Soudha to bring pressure on the government.
The BJP, that has strongly opposed Tipu jayanti celebrations, has given an indication that it will corner the government on RSS workers’ murders in Bengaluru, Mysuru and other places and the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. They will also put up a united show against the proposed steel flyover in Bengaluru.
However, if the opposition BJP raises the sleazegate issue, the government may take them on by citing Halappa’s case, then minister Renukacharya’s issue and also about the three ministers who were caught watching porn in the Assembly.
The ruling Congress could also target BJP over Janardhana Reddy’s daughter’s big fat wedding, which is supposed to have cost around `250 crore, in the light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation of high-value currency to nail those with black money.
When contacted, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government wants to give time to debate problems related to North Karnataka region and will also move a few important Bills.
However, the government is fully prepared to take on the opposition parties, particularly BJP, which has planned to blow up a few issues for political gains, he said. The Congress may turn the tables on BJP for failure of the Mahadayi talks as the Goa Chief Minister, who is from BJP, has not given Karnataka time for talks to resolve the issue.