Former legislator Ayanur Manjunath terms withdrawal of suspension of 18 BJP MLAs in Karnataka as ‘unconstitutional’

Ayanur Manjunath claims that, as per the rules of House proceedings, the decision should have been withdrawn only on the floor of the House.

Former legislator and Congress spokesperson Ayanur Manjunath has termed the Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader’s decision to withdraw the suspension of 18 BJP legislators unconstitutional. Nobody had the rights to withdraw resolution of the august House outside, he stated in a press conference in Shivamogga on May 26.

Maintaining that he was raising the issue as a former legislator, not as a Congressman, Mr. Manjunath stated that there is no rule that allows withdrawal of the decision.

“As per the rules of House proceedings, the decision should have been withdrawn only on the floor of the House. A meeting convened in the presence of the Speaker, CM, Deputy CM and Leader of Opposition cannot take the decision. Nowhere, including in Parliament, such a decision has been taken. A bad precedent has been set,” he commented.

Mr. Manjunath argued that the decision could not be ratified by the House. “This is not a decision which can be applied retrospectively. At most, the Speaker could have relaxed the conditions of suspension and allowed the MLAs to attend House committee meetings. However, even that could have been done constitutionally,” he added.