MLAs Suspended, Karnataka BJP Seeks No-Confidence Motion Against Speaker

The Opposition BJP and Janata Dal Secular in Karnataka have given notice seeking a no-confidence motion against assembly Speaker UT Khader after he suspended 10 BJP MLAs for unruly activities for the rest of the ongoing session. The assembly session started on July 3 and will continue till July 21. Later, BJP MLAs, including former Chief Minister M Basavaraj Bommai, who staged protest outside the assembly building, were detained by the police.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed in the house as some members of the BJP -- while protesting against the alleged "misuse" of IAS officers by the state government -- tore copies of bills and agenda and threw them at the Chair, upset over the Speaker's decision to conduct the proceedings without allowing a lunch break.

A group of IAS officers were deputed in connection with the two-day unity meet of Opposition parties in Bengaluru, which ended yesterday.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil had moved the appeal for suspension that read: "I am presenting this proposal...I request you that on this day under section 348 of the Karnataka Assembly Rules of Procedure, these members should be suspended from the Karnataka Assembly till the rest of the session for their indecent and disrespectful conduct, and should be barred from entering the House".

The motion was then put to vote.

Later, suspending the MLAs, Mr Kader said, "I am naming them (the 10 MLAs) because of their indecent and disrespectful conduct".

The suspended MLAs include  Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, R Ashoka, Araga Jnanendra (all former ministers), D Vedavyasa Kamath, Yashpal Suvarna, Dheeraj Muniraj, A Umanath Kotian, Arvind Bellad and Y Bharath Shetty.