BELAGAVI: The incident in Parliament where two intruders sprayed smoke from canisters reverberated in the Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday which saw a heated argument between legislators of the ruling and opposition parties.
The matter was raised by Tourism Minister HK Patil who condemned the incident and wanted a detailed probe into the security lapses by agencies.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka also condemned the incident and expressed concern over the security and safety of the elected representatives.
Soon afterwards, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleged that the two intruders had entered the house by availing a pass issued by BJP MP Pratap Simha.
“Since Simha is your MP, therefore, you are not mentioning his name. Had there been a Congress MP in his position, then you would have created a major ruckus in the assembly today,” he said.
Joining the chorus, RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge also said the BJP would have branded the Congress as anti-national if any Congress MP had issued the passes to the men.
At the same time, Congress MLA Nayana Motamma was heard wondering what the BJP would have done if the MP was from a minority community.
This angered BJP MLAs who rose to their feet and accused the Congress of playing politics over the issue.
“There was no need for Shivakumar to raise the matter here when all the members and the house condemned the incident,” said former minister and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar.
Speaker UT Khader tried to pacify the members and bring order to the house but failed. He subsequently adjourned the house for some time.