The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Sudarshan to step down as Legislative Council Chairman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 17, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Sudarshan to step down as Legislative Council Chairman

Special Correspondent

Says he wants to actively participate in party politics

V.R. Sudarshan

BANGALORE: Outgoing Legislative Council Chairman V.R. Sudarshan, who was re-elected to the Council from the Legislative Assembly as a Congress candidate, on Friday said he was not keen on becoming Chairman again.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Sudarshan said, "Monday will be my last day as Chairman of the Council. I want to participate actively in party politics. I have informed party leaders about this."

Mr. Sudarshan was elected Chairman of the Council on March 17, 2005. Deputy Chairman Sachidanand Khot would preside over the session starting on Monday, he said.

The Council will complete 100 years next year. Mr. Sudarshan highlighted various achievements of the Council during his tenure as Chairman and Deputy Chairman. He said he had led an all-party delegation to urge the Centre to repeal Article 169 of the Constitution, which makes the Legislative Council a "creation" of the Assembly. The Council had passed a resolution to this effect, which said all States should have a Legislative Council.

Petition dismissed

The Chairman said he had dismissed a disqualification petition against independent member Arun Machaiah filed by the former MLC A.K. Subbaiah under the anti-defection law.

Mr. Subbaiah, on January 12, 2006, filed a petition seeking the disqualification of Mr. Machaiah, who had claimed to be a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) though he was elected as an independent candidate from Kodagu in from the local bodies' constituency.

After seeking legal opinion and the views of Mr. Machaiah, he had found that the petition was non-maintainable and had dismissed it on merit. Janata Dal (S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda, in a letter, had stated that Mr. Machaiah was not a member of the party, Mr. Sudarshan said.

A joint House committee had been set up to inquire into alleged encroachment of land in and around Bangalore. M.P. Nadagouda (JD-U), `Mukhyamantri' Chandru (BJP), Y.S.V Datta (JD-S), V.S. Ugrappa and Munivenkata Reddy (both Congress) were members of the committee from the Legislative Council, he said.

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