Karnataka leaders hail SC decision on MLAs disqualification
Bengaluru: Political leaders from across the spectrum in Karnataka on Wednesday welcomed the Supreme Court judgement upholding former assembly Speaker K. R. Ramesh Kumar’s decision to disqualify 17 rebel legislators.
“I welcome the Supreme Court judgement. Supreme Court has upheld the decision of the Speaker,” Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman G. Madhusudhana told IANS.
Madhusudhana pointed out that the Supreme Court took a wise decision to partially uphold Kumar’s decision and partially reject his decision of barring the rebel legislators from contesting, as it allowed the rebel legislators to contest in the forthcoming by-elections on December 5.
“See whether accepting the resignation or making them disqualified amounts to the same, they were ready to go to elections, they were not shying away from the election, they were quite confident,” said Madhusudhana.
He said everybody is happy with the Supreme Court giving the rebel legislators an opportunity to contest the elections.
Criticising Kumar, Mudhusudhana said, “And the Speaker had acted as a Congress party leader. And I think this is a big lesson to Kumar. Though you are Speaker, a Constitutional body, if you act out of the Constitution you will be tamed.”
Ramesh Babu of Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) lauded the Supreme Court for upholding the Constitution and the Parliamentary system.
“So the Supreme Court had upheld the Speaker’s decision apart from the provision to allow the disqualified legislators to contest again,” Babu told IANS.
According to Babu, the apex court’s judgement will strengthen the whip power of political parties.
“The Supreme Court has upheld the Xth schedule,” said Babu about the part of Indian Constitution which deals with the act of defection by lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh congress committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao tweeted welcoming the judgement.
“Supreme Court has upheld the disqualification of all the 17 legislators who defected from Congress and JDS. It also proves that the Karnataka government is an illegal government,” tweeted Rao.
Rao accused BJP of employing unconstitutional means to fabricate a majority to form the government in the state.
“It should be immediately dismissed,” he asserted.
Former Congress chief minister and opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah tweeted that the Supreme Court judgement exposes the moral bankruptcy of the BJP leaders and the disqualified legislators.
“Operation Kamala is a proven act and there is nothing more shameful than this,” tweeted Siddaramaiah welcoming the apex court’s verdict.
The by-elections have been necessitated due to the disqualification of the 14 Congress and three Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rebel legislators after they resigned from their respective assembly seats in July in protest against the former coalition government’s functioning.
The by-elections will be held in Athani, Kagwad, Gokak, Yellapura, Hirekerur, Ranibennur, Vijaynagara, Chickballapura, K.R. Pura, Yeshwanthpura, Mahalakshmi Layout, Shivajinagara, Hosakote, K.R. Pete and Hunsur.
Vote count is on December 9. Eom/460 words
