BMIC ruckus in both Houses

BMIC ruckus in both Houses
Name NICE touts, Cong tells CM
Deccan Herald

The State legislature session began on a tumultuous note on Monday as the Opposition sought to pin Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy down on his recent claim that the BMIC promoters attempted to “buy” him through a minister in the then Dharam Singh government and a journalist.

The Opposition Congress did not allow any other business to be transacted in both the Houses and when its attempt to move adjournment motions on the subject failed, it resorted to dharna in the Assembly. Both the Houses had to be adjourned abruptly for the day.

‘Substantiate or quit’

In the Assembly, the Congress members vociferously demanded that the chief minister either substantiate his allegations or resign. They commenced a dharna when Speaker Krishna turned down their plea for an adjournment motion against the government in connection with the chief minister’s allegations.

The House was adjourned for the day after the protesting members turned down an invitation by the speaker to attend a conciliatory meeting to resolve the stalemate. They are likely to continue with their dharna on Tuesday too.

As soon as the Lower House met in the morning, the Opposition Congress members alleged that the chief minister was trying to blackmail them through such remarks. They argued that according to the provisions (Section 203) of Indian Penal Code, the chief minister had committed a criminal offence by failing to register a complaint against those who tried to bribe him.

“If he was ignorant of this important provision, then such a person is not fit to continue as chief minister,” they argued.

The Congress leaders also wanted the chief minister to throw more light on his father and former prime minister, Mr H D Deve Gowda’s allegations that some BJP leaders too had been lured by the BMIC promoters.

They urged him to disclose the names of the minister and the journalist. Congress member Mallikarjun Kharge launched an attack against the chief minister by remarking that “may be they would not have mustered courage to try to bribe you if your track record was clean”. Ridiculing the chief minister, former minister R V Deshpande asked: “Did you send them back because they offered less money?”

CM loses cool

Mr Kumaraswamy lost his cool as he was repeatedly taunted by the Opposition and went into a counter-attack mode.

Reminding Mr Deshpande that too had made allegations regarding corruption, he remarked: “I think you have forgotten that you had once stated that my father was attacking BMIC promoters as he might not have received the ‘suitcase’ from them.”

Several Congress members took exception to these remarks paving the way for a pandemonium.

The chief minister asserted that he was ready to dedicate the entire session for a discussion on the issue.

On the demand for his resignation, he said: “I have not committed any serious blunder to quit. But I will not stoop down to the level of being forced to quit by indulging in misdeeds. I will quit in a dignified manner, when I want to.”

The speaker did not consider the Congress plea for the adjournment motion, but allowed discussion under a different provision without censure provision, irritating the Congress members who trooped into the well of the House.

In the Upper House, the Opposition Congress argued that the Governor himself should have intervened and sought an explanation from the chief minister soon after he charged NICE with trying to “buy” him.

The House was adjourned without taking up any other business.

BJP FOR SEPARATE PANEL

The BJP Legislature Party meeting on Monday suggested setting up of a separate committee headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy to arrive at a consensus on various issues related to the BMIC project, including

getting back the excess land.