The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Impasse continues in Council

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007
ePaper


<SCRIPT language='JavaScript1.1' SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> </SCRIPT> <NOSCRIPT> <A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?"> <IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/N4322.hinduonline/B2155503.3;abr=!ie4;abr=!ie5;sz=468x60;ord=[timestamp]?" BORDER=0 WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 ALT="Click Here"></A> </NOSCRIPT>

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Impasse continues in Council

Staff Reporter

Congress insists on election to the post of Chairman of the House

BANGALORE: Monday brought no respite or solution to the impasse in the Legislative Council on the constitutionality or otherwise of the Government's decision to anoint N. Thippanna as the acting Chairman.

As soon Mr. Thippanna took the chair when the House met, the Congress, the main Opposition party, protested. Leader of the Opposition H.K. Patil contended that electing the Chairman was the privilege of the House, and there was no option for the Government but to facilitate this process. Deputy Chairman Sachidanand Khot did not have the powers to delegate anyone to officiate in his absence, Mr. Patil said.

Appeals by Leader of the House D.H. Shankaramurthy to allow the House to function so that pressing matters like the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal could be discussed went in vain. Mr. Thippanna adjourned the House for half an hour.

Mr. Patil told presspersons that the Government was going about the issue in the wrong way. Home Minister M.P. Prakash had assured them that a meeting would be held to address the questions raised by the Congress, but that had not come about. They had, however, met the Governor two days ago and apprised him of the developments.

Mr. Patil said it was puzzling that Mr. Khot, who is recovering from a backache, was brought down from Belgaum by a special plane and was in Bangalore. Yet, he had not deemed it fit to attend the House and conduct the proceedings.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has been quoted in Gulbarga as saying he had no time to organise the election of the Chairman, as it required political strategy.

V.R. Sudarshan (Congress), a former Chairman, pointed out that the Congress was not opposed to any individual, and its demand was that the privilege of the House to elect its Chairman should not be denied.

The House met again an hour later, only to be adjourned for lunch.

When the House assembled after lunch, the pandemonium continued, and the House was adjourned for the day without any business being transacted.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka