BENGALURU: Senior BJP leaders, including party state president BY Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and MLA V Sunil Kumar, urged Assembly Speaker UT Khader to withdraw the order suspending 18 MLAs for six months.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, Vijayendra termed the Speaker’s decision as “illegal, unconstitutional, unilateral,” and taken “arbitrarily”. The Speaker not only insulted the legislators but also the people of their constituencies, he said.
He said the suspended legislators have been barred from entering the Assembly lobby or hall. “Are they terrorists or Naxalites?” Vijayendra asked. He also objected to the Speaker’s decision of barring the MLAs from attending the standing committee meetings.
Ashoka said the BJP MLAs were fighting to protect the respect and honour of the Assembly, but the Speaker “behaved like Hitler”. “I spoke to the Speaker today morning and informed him that his decision will not bring respect to the Assembly,” he said. For the first time, the members were suspended for six months, he said. “Do the Speaker and Congress have any understanding?” he said.
The BJP leader said they will firmly stand with the suspended MLAs and not enter the Assembly and will decide soon on attending the committee meetings. “We will wait for the Speaker’s decision till April 1 or 2, and after that, decide on the future course of action,” he said.
The BJP said the government is giving four per cent reservation to Muslims by snatching it from Hindus. In places like Mangaluru, Muslims already get 50% of contracts and now it will increase to 75 %, it said.
The BJP leaders said they will continue to fight against the reservation to Muslims in government contracts, both inside and outside the House.