From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Belagavi
Belagavi, Nov 13: The brief 10-day winter session of the Karnataka Legislature at the Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha got off to an embarrassing start with Legislative Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad, briefly adjourning the session at the outset itself, on Monday.
Normally, before the commencement of the session, the quorum bell is switched on to alert the members in the lobby or holding private discussions outside to enter the House as under the rules at least a tenth or 23 members out of the total strength of 224 must be present before the commencement.
The quorum bell is switched off only after the required number of members are present and the Speaker takes the chair afterwards. However, when the Speaker came to the House, he adjourned the House upon finding that there was no sufficient quorum.
As soon as Koliwad entered the House on the opening day of the winter session, he adjourned the House saying, "It is unfortunate that there are no sufficient members. I adjourn the House till there is quorum."
Koliwad's decision took the treasury benches as well as the Opposition members by surprise, though the Opposition BJP and JD(S) members were enjoying the piquant situation.
"The Speaker has a lot of anger against the government," BJP member S Suresh Kumar said obviously referring to the State Government’s decision of slashing grants for the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Vidhana Soudha from the proposed Rs 27 crore submitted by the legislature secretariat to mere Rs 10 crore.
"Yes, it is evident that he wants to settle scrores," quipped JD(S) member YSV Datta.
Energy Minister D K Shivakumar wondered aloud why the Speaker had not checked that necessary number of MLAs were present before switching off the quorum bell.
The House, however, met a little later after the quorum requirement was met but the attendance continued to be poor.