BENGALURU: Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman K Pratap Chandra Shetty resigned from his post on Thursday. The BJP had moved a no-confidence motion against him during the winter session after gaining the upper hand in the Council.
However, the process turned messy with the council witnessing unpleasant events on December 15.When the joint session started in the last week of January, the BJP, which found that the chairman was resigning himself, had not pressed for a discussion on the no-confidence motion. On Thursday evening, Shetty announced his resignation in the House.
In his exit speech, he said, “Though it is a reality that democracy runs on numbers, it is important that the decisions made in the House should be for the people. I believe that all decisions I made from the chair were in the favour of the people. Unfortunately, such decisions raised questions on the credibility of this chair and I am hurt by it.
“I am deeply pained that an untoward incident took place in the House during my tenure due to the numbers game. However, it was my ‘Rajadharma’ to face it legally when the credibility of the chair was questioned.
Now, we are all aware of what happened and we have to bow our heads before people for that. Hence, I apologise to the people of the state from the chair. We all should introspect and ensure that such incidents won’t repeat in the House,” he said.
Shetty said that he had informed the Governor in writing about the incidents that took place during the Winter Session and on December 15. “I hope that the Governor has taken appropriate action”.“I am relieved as my responsibility is over. Technically, I have time till the next session to prove a majority. However, I have given importance to morality and values throughout my life. Not giving way for any unnecessary discussion, I am resigning from the Chairman’s post,” Shetty said.