BENGALURU: The ruling BJP, opposition Congress and JDS are girding up for the joint session of the assembly and council, due to start on February 14. While CLP leader Siddaramaiah and PCC president DK Shivakumar will try to put the government on the mat on several issues, the BJP will try to pass many pending bills, including the anti-conversion bill.
KPCC President DK Shivakumar told The New Indian Express that the Congress would take up all those issues which it wanted to take up in Belagavi, but could not due to shortage of time. “In the joint session, we will have a lot of opportunities. The issues we could not take up in the Belagavi session will be taken up in Bengaluru. The Contractors’ Association has made serious allegations against the government by calling it a 40 per cent government, and we will also take up the misuse of power.’’
This comes after police filed several FIRs against Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar over the Mekedatu padayatra. The Congress called it “unfair”, and questioned why no cases were filed against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and several ministers who failed to observe Covid rules during the swearing in of MLCs. About 3,500-4,000 people were present, and Covid protocols were not followed, they alleged, and also listed out several meetings held by Renukacharya, Mallikaiah Guttedar and others, where Covid rules were broken, though cases were not filed, and called the government “selective”.
“There are serious unemployment and underemployment issues in Karnataka, failure of the state government on the Covid front, and price rise of essentials. We will have a legislature party meeting where we will discuss these issues at length and decide as a party, and take them up. There is no coordination between ministers and bureaucrats,’’ Shivakumar said.
CLP leader Siddaramaiah will call for the Congress Legislature Party meeting shortly, where the issue of bitcoins, overall failure of the government, and its lapses in Covid management are expected to be taken up. JDS deputy leader Bandeppa Kashempur told TNIE, “We will call a legislature party meeting shortly under the leadership of H D Kumaraswamy, where as a party we will decide which issues to take up in the upcoming session.’’
BJP General Secretary Ravi Kumar said the party will decide on the issues. ‘’We will try to pass pending bills like the anti-conversion bill, freedom for temples, and issues concerning the upcoming elections.’’