MANGALURU: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader on Tuesday expressed confidence that the ongoing power tussle within the Congress, along with the Opposition’s allegations of horse-trading, will not disrupt the winter session of the state legislature scheduled from 8 to 19 December.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, Khader said he would permit a discussion on the issue if raised in accordance with Assembly rules. He noted that 37 of the 39 Bills tabled in the previous session were passed after debate and consensus, a record of sorts, and said he hoped for a similarly productive session this winter. “It will be in the interest of the people,” he remarked.
“The winter session will focus particularly on issues concerning North Karnataka. In the last winter session, 35 MLAs raised matters related to the region, and I expect the same level of participation this time as well,” he said.
Khader said six Bills have been listed so far for the upcoming session, none of which are major. Preparations are underway, and a newly developed garden on the Suvarna Soudha premises will be inaugurated during the session. “The beautiful garden and the illuminated Suvarna Soudha will become a tourist attraction,” he added.
He also announced that Vinod Kumar Revappa from Kalaburagi will display a 50 ft x 75 ft handmade khadi Indian national flag, said to be the second-largest in the world, during the session.
When asked whether he would allow a debate on MP Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri’s allegations of corruption in purchases for the Vidhana Soudha, Khader dismissed the matter, saying it did not merit discussion. “Records speak the truth,” he said, defending the expenditure incurred for the Book Expo and facilities provided to legislators. He clarified that the silk shawls presented to litterateurs at the Expo cost Rs 25,000 each and were procured from the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation. “Great writers cannot be presented simple gifts,” he remarked.
Responding to criticism over recliner chairs with massage features, Khader said they were not purchased but merely displayed as part of a “marketing exercise.” He added that no written complaints have been filed so far regarding the allegations.
On being asked whether he was a ministerial aspirant in the event of a change of guard in the state, Khader said he was unaware of any such political developments. “After I became Speaker, political channels have closed, only constitutional channels remain open,” he said.
The Speaker also said that an enclosure for stray dogs would be built within the Vidhana Soudha premises and maintained by an NGO. The enclosure will have direct access to the road rather than the building. Stray dogs entering the premises will be caught and relocated to the enclosure, he said.