BENGALURU: BJP and most JDS legislators boycotted the Assembly and Council proceedings on Thursday and met the governor with an appeal to him to seek an explanation from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the state government’s decision of deputing some IAS officers to receive politicians who attended the recent opposition parties’ conclave in the city.
Ten BJP MLAs were suspended by the Speaker after a ruckus over the government’s decision in the Assembly on Wednesday. The legislators also appealed to the governor to issue directions to the government to stop “lowering the status of bureaucrats to servants and protocol officers of politicians and political parties.” The memorandum under BJP Legislature Party’s letterhead was also signed by former CM HD Kumaraswamy and other JDS legislators, who met the governor along with BJP leaders.
Most of the MLAs and MLCs from BJP and JDS boycotted the proceedings, including the CM’s reply to the debate on the budget. Perhaps, for the first time, the opposition benches were vacant when the chief minister was replying to the debate on the budget. They are likely to boycott the proceedings on Friday.
The BJP legislators staged a protest near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Vidhana Soudha and marched to Raj Bhavan. A delegation of BJP and JDS members, including former CM Basavaraj Bommai, Kumaraswamy, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, former ministers Araga Jnanendra and HD Revanna, met the governor.
‘Congress using officers as puppets’
Earlier in the day, Speaker UT Khader and Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani met the Governor and apprised him of developments in the Assembly. In their memorandum, the BJP and JDS leaders stated that it was shocking to note that more than 25 IAS officers had to perform the duties of protocol officers during the recently held conclave of Opposition parties.
This was against the Constitution. “IAS officers are not Congress workers to function as protocol officers of politicians at the expense of the state government,” the memorandum said. “Their dignity, self-respect and independence should be protected. Unfortunately, Congress is using them as puppets. It is like the Nazi party which merged the party and the state into one. Congress will destroy the very foundation of democracy,” the memorandum stated.
HDK too appointed officers, says CM
CM Siddaramaiah said JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy, during his swearing-in ceremony as CM in May 21, 2018, had appointed IAS officer YS Patil to liaison with the then JDS national leader Danish Ali. P6