BENGALURU: Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil has demanded an apology from Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for exiting the Assembly hall before the National Anthem was played.
The governor, who delivered a one-minute speech to the joint session on Thursday, was criticised by Congress leaders.
Hitting back at the Congress leaders, BJP members demanded the resignation of HK Patil for what they called “his disorderly behaviour in the House”.
After the House resumed following the Governor’s speech, Assembly Speaker UT Khader instructed the House to take up an obituary reference to eminent personalities, including Congress veteran Bheemanna Khandre, who had recently passed away. Patil, however, got up to talk about the governor and said the latter has insulted the national anthem. He demanded that the governor complete his speech. “He needs to come back to the House and apologise. He is in a constitutional position and should be upholding the constitution. But he has insulted the national anthem. The Speaker should take a decision in this regard,” he added.
BJP leaders opposed the Speaker’s move to allow Patil to speak on the Governor issue when the former had already announced taking up obituary references.“This is nothing but insulting the departed ones. I had given a letter to the Speaker about Congress legislators insulting the Governor by blocking his way. As per the rules, one should not disturb the Governor during his speech or later.
This has to be taken as a violation of the rules of the Assembly. We demand action against the legislators who distracted while the Governor was exiting. But the Speaker has not allowed me to talk, whereas HK Patil, without giving any letter, was allowed to talk. This is not acceptable,” Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and senior BJP MLA R Ashoka said.
Adding to this, senior BJP MLA V Sunil Kumar said that the Congress members have no moral right to criticise the governor for not staying back for the National Anthem. “The same Congress members did not allow the hoisting of the National Flag in Hubballi. They are allowed pro-Pakistan slogans inside Vidhana Soudha,” Sunil Kumar said. He also said that the way Congress legislators behaved shows that the governor is not safe inside the House. “You invited the governor and then insulted him,” he added.
Hitting back, RDPR and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge said the National Flag was not hoisted in the RSS headquarters for more than 50 years. Irked by this, BJP members created a ruckus. Congress members, too, added to the chaos.