The State legislature heads for Belagavi for its 10-day winter session starting on December 9. A good number of elected people’s representatives from across parties will be attending it without having asked a single question during the previous session.
The last sitting in June-July lasted 28 days and was specially called to discuss department-wise budgetary demands. As many as 30 MLAs did not ask any question. In contrast, just seven MLAs raised more than a hundred questions by grilling the ruling party on various public issues.
A Right to Information query has revealed that P. Rajeev (BSRC), P.R. Sudhakarlal, K. Gopalaiah, Mallikarjun Khubha (all Janata Dal-Secular), and K. Sudhakar, N.A. Harris and Eshwar Bheemanna Khandre (all Congress) asked more than 100 queries. Twenty MLAs asked more than 50 questions and 37 asked less than 10.
However, there was not a single query during Question Hour from veterans and former Ministers D.B. Inamdar, Malikayya Guttedar, B.B. Chimmankatti, K. Shivamurthy and Santosh Lad (all Congress), M.T.B. Nagaraj and R.V. Devaraj (Congress), and Zameer Ahmed (JD-S). The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy also did not ask any question but took active part in the discussions.
Though Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa encouraged younger MLAs to ask questions, many remained silent. Among them were Ajay Singh, son of the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh; M.P. Ravindra, son of the former Minister late M.P. Prakash; K.B. Prasanna Kumar, and the father-son duo of M. Krishnappa and Priya Krishna (all Congress).
Shakuntala Shetty of the Congress asked 28 questions — the most from women MLAs.
Will the members put the State government on audit in the coming session? Or choose to remain silent spectators once again?
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The rising sons
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has kept his family entirely out of politics to the point of invisibility. But he gave a hint of that changing by announcing recently that his son Rakesh will be keeping tabs on his constituency, considering that he may not have much time to manage his constituency at the micro level. Politicians’ penchant for passing on the baton to their sons is not new and the Chief Minister is actually a latecomer into this league.
Another rather glaring instance of sons being thrust into limelight by politician fathers was at the inauguration of the Rajkumar memorial, when Information Minister Roshan Baig’s son Ruman Baig and a bunch of his “followers” got their moment with two stars — Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi. While thousands of fans were allowed nowhere near them, Junior Baig and his friends got to present a floral arrangement with Rajkumar’s name on it to the two stars. It was a great photo opportunity and assured tele-time, with all Kannada channels beaming the programme live.
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All’s not well in JD(S)
Even as JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda is busy reuniting the old Janata Parivar into a single party, his party’s State unit seems to be convulsing in his own backyard. Several of his attempts in recent times — in the garb of a convention of leaders, introspection meetings or formation of a core committee — have failed to resolve the crisis within. Mr. Gowda made a last-ditch attempt at reining in his legislators, who are reportedly waiting for an opportune time to strike, by appointing his son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as the State president.
However, matters have apparently not moved an inch, considering the outcome of the meeting of the JD(S) legislature party which was called to discuss party strategy for the Belagavi session of the legislature.
Fifteen MLAs and three MLCs were absent at that meeting. An exasperated Mr. Kumaraswamy sarcastically said, “Some legislators have grown bigger than the party, therefore attending the legislature party meeting is below their dignity.” Mr. Kumaraswamy insists all MLAs and MLCs were informed of the meeting. There seems to be enough indicators to infer that all is not well in the State JD(S).
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A Hassan conundrum
And now, over to Hassan, known to be the stronghold of the JD(S). One of the party members, city municipal council president H.H. Srividya Anand, who was until recently struggling to independently cope with council meetings, has shocked her party colleagues by defying the bosses. Party leaders had directed her to resign from her post according to an internal pact to share power with another party contender for 30 months. Ms. Anand did submit her resignation on Monday. But on Thursday, JD(S) leaders were in for a surprise: she went to the Deputy Commissioner’s office with members of the BJP and the Congress to withdraw her resignation.
Her surprise defiance led JD(S)’s virtual high-command in Hassan, H.D. Revanna, to call a meeting of all CMC members of the party. The peculiar situation has been caused by someone considered until now as mild and pliant; and whom the Opposition parties were attacking for her lack of administrative skills.
The BJP and the Congress have offered to support her in case the JD(S) moves a no-confidence motion against her.
With inputs from Nagesh Prabhu, Bageshree S., Muralidhara Khajane and Sathish G.T.
