Pandemonium in Karnataka Legislative Council as Opposition disrupts CM’s reply on Valmiki corporation scam

On the lines of what was seen in the Legislative Assembly last week, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) members on Monday disrupted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reply to a debate on the alleged multi-crore scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd. in the Legislative Council on Monday.

On the lines of what was seen in the Legislative Assembly last week, the Opposition BJP and JD(S) members on Monday disrupted Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s reply to a debate on the alleged multi-crore scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd. in the Legislative Council on Monday.

When the Opposition members did not pay heed to repeated pleas by Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti and the Chief MInister to allow him to speak first, the chairman allowed the Chief Minister to read out his reply amidst sloganeering.

Objecting that they had not been given copies of the written reply, the Opposition members staged a protest in the Well of the House and started shouting slogans accusing the Chief Minister and his government of “theft”, “loot”, “injustice to SC/ST.

Retorting, the Congress members displayed posters of the BJP-era scandals. Amid the ruckus, the chairman said that the Chief Minister’s written reply would be tabled before the House and it would go on record. 

Earlier, the Chief Minister asserted that it was the Congress government that brought in laws and amended existing laws for the welfare of the SC/ST communities.

“We do not need to take lessons on concern for the downtrodden communities from the BJP.  It is the BJP that has no concern for Dalits and has been against the oppressed communities since the beginning,” he said, defending his government.

Pointing out that he is not denying the irregularities in the corporation, the Chief Minister said: “Neither me nor my government has any role in this. This is a conspiracy by the Opposition members to tarnish our image. We are getting the matter investigated and strict action will be taken against the culprits involved in it. There is no question of shielding anyone. The guilty will not be spared at any cost,” he said.