Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jun 14: With the no confidence motion proposed to be moved by Congress legislators against himself getting permission from the chairman of the state legislative council, D H Shankaramurthy, ball has been set rolling for his ouster. As the chairman has allowed the motion to be moved, it has to be discussed and put to vote within the next five days.
If the motion is able to corner enough votes for the removal of the chairman, Shankaramurthy will go down in the history of Karnataka legislature for being the first ever council chairman to be shunted out of office through no confidence motion. This however is unlikely to happen because of sudden developments witnessed on Tueday night.
The notice of motion had been served on the secretary of the legislative council by Congress MLCs, K C Kondaiah, H M Revanna, M A Gopalaswamy, R Prasannakumar, Sharanappa Kottur, and V S Ugrappa on May 30 this year. As such a process should be set into motion within14 days of receipt of notice, the issue had been included in the agenda on Tuesday.
D H Shankaramurthy
After the question and zero hours, Shankaramurthy raised the topic and asked members who are in favour of the motion to standup. He said that the motion will fall if it does not get support of ten or more councillors, and that it will be taken up for discussions only if it gets nod of over ten councillors. Thereafter, all the Congress councillor stood up. The secretary of the council confirmed to the chairman that over ten persons had supported the motion. The council chairman said that a date for considering this motion would be fixed as per rules, before adjourning the session for lunch.
Shankaramurthy said that the notice of no confidence motion served by MLCs, V S Ugrappa and others, does not mention about any allegations or charges against him. As motions not backed by reasons or allegations cannot be defended, the notice does not conform to procedures and hence ineligible as per rules, he stated. It is also against the norms of natural justice, he felt. He told the house that he allowed the motion to be moved because of his disciplined commitment to principles of the constitution and to uphold the lofty ideals and stature of the house.
Congress MLA, H M Revanna however, claimed that he and other fellow MLCs had moved the motion under rule 165 of the bylaws governing the house and article 183 (c) of Indian constitution.
In a dramatic development which took place on Tuesday night, a meeting of JD(S) legislative party held in a private hotel decided to continue with the current understanding with the BJP under which Shankaramurthy would be the chairman of the council and Marithibe Gowda his deputy. The meeting chaired by state president of the party, H D Kumaraswamy, in which all the 13 MLC of JD(S) participated, has belied the expectations of Congress and poured cold water on its ambitions. If the no confidence motion fails, it will be a huge embarrassment for the state government. In addition, those vying with others for bagging the post of the council chairman will be left in the lurch.
Earlier in the day, state home minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, G Parameshwara, had met JD(S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda, and requested his support for unseating Shankaramurthy. After the meeting, Parameshwara told the reporters that the two parties are coming together for the specific purpose of electing a new chairman for the legislative council as his party is two short of majority in the council. While asserting that who will succeed Shankaramurthy has not yet been decided, he referred to the understanding between the two parties in BBMP. He at the same time, reiterated that the current understanding would be limited for this specific purpose of no confidence motion and electing a new council chairman, and will not be extended to the assembly election.