BENGALURU: Proceedings in the Karnataka Assembly hit a new low on Wednesday with members from the ruling and opposition parties, and even Speaker UT Khader using unparliamentary words in the House.
BJP MLA and senior leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who raised the issue of followers of newly elected Rajya Sabha member Naseer Hussain allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans, said the government is trying to cover up the issue systematically. “Not not just Congress or BJP, no party can do this. We got Independence after much struggle. We dreamt of a united India,” he said.
Referring to Dr BR Ambedkar’s book The Partition of India, Yatnal said the Father of the Constitution never wanted a divided India. He had predicted incidents like this would happen causing problems. “Exactly, the way he had predicted, people are shouting pro-Pakistan slogans and hoisting the Pakistan flag. These people eat from this land and drink from this country, and they should be committed and be honest to this nation. But these T**** G***** (Kannada words), despite getting all the benefits, are raising pro-Pakistan slogans. If anyone -- a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian -- is pro-Pakistan, they are T**** G**** and they should be punished. They are namak haraam,” he added.
Objecting to this, senior Congress MLA and former minister Basavaraj Rayareddi said such words cannot be used inside the House as they are unparliamentary. But Speaker Khader said such words have been used in the House earlier, and that Yatnal is using such words for pro-Pakistan people. Rayareddi asked, “Does it mean we can use B*** M*** or S*** M***”(Kannada words)?”
Khader told him, “When you speak, you can say B*** M***. Now sit down.”
Even before Yatnal continued his speech, Khader voluntarily told him that he was giving full permission for the MLA to use such words if they are targeted at Pakistan. Yatnal said, “Since you have given permission to use such words, you are a patriot.”
Missed RS polls as I was not well: Hebbar
Yellapur (Uttara Kannada): Yellapur BJP MLA Shivaram Hebbar, who abstained from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections on Tuesday, claimed that he was absent as he was not well on that day. “Absences and cross-voting happens in other states too, but the reason for me abstaining from voting was my health,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I was not well and also like my other party colleagues, I am not in favour of the BJP’s alliance with the JDS,” he said. He said he has been unhappy with the party since the Assembly elections. “There were efforts to defeat me. I informed the party higher ups about this. Six persons were disqualified and recently it was quashed,” he said. ENS