Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader revoked the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs on Sunday two months after they were suspended on March 21 for six months as he said the decision, which comes after a Cabinet meeting Thursday, was based on suggestions of senior leaders.
Besides Khader, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka had attended the meeting on Thursday aimed at restoring normalcy during Assembly sessions as BJP had threatened to boycott House proceedings if the suspension was not withdrawn.
Among the 18 BJP legislators who were suspended for showing “indiscipline” and “disrespecting” the Speaker’s Chair, following which they were forcefully evicted from the House by the marshals, are BJP Chief Whip Doddanagouda G Patil and senior MLAs such as Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, S R Vishwanath, Byrathi Basavaraju and Munirathna.
They were suspended on the last day of the Budget session, as the BJP MLAs had climbed onto the Speaker’s podium, tore up papers, and hurled papers in the Assembly, during their protest in the floor of the House, demanding a CBI inquiry into “honey trap” allegations by Minister K N Rajanna.
Following the meeting, Speaker Khader told reporters that his decision was based on suggestions from senior leaders. “The 18 BJP MLAs are not my adversaries. Their actions were driven by emotions. Though my decision to suspend them was necessary, it is now time to move forward,” he said, adding that the MLAs have already remained suspended for two months.
Revoking the suspension would enable the Assembly to function smoothly, he said.
Speaking to reporters separately, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka welcomed the decision and said that discussions have been ongoing with the Speaker for more than two weeks. The suspended MLAs have regretted their actions, he said.
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A month into their suspension, BJP leaders had petitioned the Speaker to withdraw it and had also approached the Governor’s office over the issue. The petitions had raised concerns that suspending the MLAs for six months would mean that the legislators would miss the upcoming Monsoon Session and key meetings of various legislative committees.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
