BANGALORE: The stalemate over the ad hoc measure of senior Janata Dal (S) member N. Thippanna presiding over the Legislative Council continued for the second day on Friday as the House had to be adjourned without transacting any business.

The Council was adjourned within five minutes after it met on Friday as the House plunged into a pandemonium because of the protest by Congress members who opposed Mr. Thippanna presiding over the House.

The Opposition members who on Thursday expressed anger over the way in which such a stopgap measure was taken, resumed their protest as soon as the House met this morning.

All the Congress members stood up and demanded that Mr. Thippanna should not preside over the House.

They alleged that the Government had not followed the relevant procedures with respect to the nomination of the presiding officer on ad hoc basis when the regular chairperson and deputy chairperson could not attend the session.

The Government was only trying to prevent the holding of elections to the post of the Chairman as the Congress was bound to win, they alleged.

They termed the measure of Mr. Thippanna presiding over the House as an insult to the Constitution.

Thippanna upset

Amidst these arguments, some Congress members taunted Mr. Thippanna, who was in the Chair, by asking him to clarify whether they should address him as "chairman or yajamanare (boss)." This angered Mr. Thippanna who asked the Opposition members to mind their language. "You have to show respect to this Chair," he reminded them.

But defending the action of his party members, Leader of the Opposition H.K. Patil said: "You are so much pained just over the use of a word. But can you imagine how much pain we are undergoing due to the action of making you preside over the House which has amounted to insulting the democratic set up."

Another Congress member B.K.Chandrashekhar said "the Legislative Council Chairman's post is not a revenue site to be regularised."

This gave raise to a heated exchange of words between the ruling and the Opposition members forcing Mr. Thippanna to adjourn the House till Monday.

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