Chaos in Assembly as CM calls Modi facilitator of graft

Chaos, uproar and sloganeering marked the last day of the 14th Karnataka Assembly on Friday, with the BJP and the Congress members accusing each other of being corrupt.  

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fired the fresh salvo at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, terming him the "facilitator of corruption in the country" and his government as "bhrastacharada gangotri." He accused Modi of   "abetting" businessmen such as liquor baron Vijay Mallya and celebrity jewelry designer Nirav Modi.  

"It was none other than Narendra Modi who aided them. You (BJP) are the ones who are thugs, rowdies and corrupt," he charged.

Irked by chief minister's accusation, the BJP members thronged the well of the House, and started shouting slogans such as '10% sarkar', 'goondagiri government', 'corrupt and looting government'. The BJP members even tore pieces of various Bills and hurled them around to register their protest.

When leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar accused Siddaramaiah of avoiding tabling Kempanna Commission report on Arkavathy Layout, the latter hit back saying that BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa has been "indicted" in the report.

It all started with Siddaramaiah re-asserting that his government would come back to power, claiming the credit for Rs 8,165 crore crop loan waiver. When Shettar taunted him for not waiving loans taken from nationalised banks, Congress member K N Rajanna came to the chief minister's defense, leading to an uproar.

Rajanna said that the Centre was extending capital support to banks, which, instead of lending money to farmers in distress, was aiding big industrialists such as Nirav and Mallya in form of NPA loans. The BJP members, who took strong objection to this, staged a dharna in the well of the House.  

Siddaramaiah tried to give his reply to a discussion on state budget 2018-19, but in vain. He finally decided to table his his reply in the House. An upset Siddaramaiah was heard telling the BJP members that he would have got them "thrown out/expelled" of/from the House, if not Friday being the "last day of the current Assembly".

BJP members walk out

In the Legislative Council, BJP members walked out, arguing that there was no point in the chief minister's reply since the budget had not come up for discussion in the Upper House. "I've been a member of this house for 29 years. It's unfortunate that we have not been given an opportunity to discuss the budget," senior BJP member Ramachandra Gowda said, before his party staged a walked out.  

Siddaramaiah frowned and asked them why they did not discuss the budget all these days. He even urged JD(S) members to walk out if they wanted to.  

The Karnataka Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2018, that seeks to draw Rs 71,663.13 crores from the Consolidated Fund of the State of Karnataka for the initial three months of the coming financial year, was passed in both Houses of the legislature.