Karnataka Assembly Speaker UT Khader on Friday, March 21, suspended 18 BJP MLAs for six months, effective immediately, due to their indiscipline.
The suspension followed an incident earlier in the day when the BJP members disrupted Assembly proceedings by defying the Speaker’s orders and behaving in a disorderly and disrespectful manner.
The suspended MLAs were seen climbing the Speaker’s dais, throwing papers, and protesting in the Well of the House. Marshals had to escort them out of the assembly. Among the suspended lawmakers are Opposition Chief Whip Doddanagouda H Patil, Ashwath Narayan CN, SR Vishwanath, BA Basavaraj, MR Patil, Channabasappa (Channi), B Suresh Gowda, Umanath A Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Shailendra Beldale, CK Ramamurthy, Yashpal A Suvarna, BP Harish, Bharath Shetty Y, Munirathna, Basavaraj Mattimood, Dheeraj Muniraju, and Chandru Lamani.
As per the suspension order, these members are prohibited from entering the Assembly hall, lobby, and galleries. They will not be allowed to participate in meetings of any standing committees or have any issues listed in the Assembly agenda under their names. Any directives issued by them during the suspension period will be ignored, and they will not be permitted to vote in committee elections. Furthermore, they will not receive any daily allowances during this time.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly was thrown into chaos throughout the day, primarily due to two key issues: a honey-trap scandal and a controversial bill proposing a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts. The honey-trap scandal erupted when Cooperative Minister KN Rajanna claimed that up to 48 politicians, including prominent figures, had fallen victim to a honey-trap scheme.
In response, BJP leaders stormed the Well of the House, displaying CDs that allegedly contained evidence of blackmail and coercion. Opposition leaders demanded a thorough investigation, with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assuring them that no one would be shielded, and a high-level probe would begin once a formal complaint was filed.
During the turmoil, the Assembly passed a finance bill. However, BJP MLAs, mistakenly thinking it was the controversial bill on Muslim reservation, tore and threw copies of the bill, further disrupting proceedings.
The bill in question amends the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, reserving 4 per cent of civil works contracts (up to Rs 2 crore) and goods/services contracts (up to Rs 1 crore) for individuals from Category 2B (Muslims). The BJP has strongly opposed this amendment, calling it unconstitutional and pledging to challenge it legally.
