Bangalore, January 07: The first day of the Karnataka Legislature in the new year began on a stormy note on Thursday with the Opposition forcing Governor H R Bharadwaj to abandon his speech — a customary extolling of the government’s achievements — midway.
As Bharadwaj started reading out the government prepared speech in his joint address to the two houses of the Legislature, the Opposition was on its feet, asking him not to praise “a number one corrupt government”.
As the Opposition’s demands grew louder, the Governor was forced to abandon his speech praising the very B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP whose removal he had recommended on October 12 last year following a tricky trust vote.
Bharadwaj then left the Assembly amid calls to “dismiss the government”.
The opening day was indication enough of how the session will shape up in the coming days.
After the Governor left, the Opposition demanded the resignation of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on charges of corruption and the government countered the attack.
Yeddyurappa called the disruption of the Governor’s speech “unfortunate” and said that the Opposition had disrespected the democratic process.
Days before the session, the Congress and JDS had jointly decided to urge the Governor to desist from delivering the speech because it praised a corrupt government whose members had called him an agent of the Congress.
“We asked the Governor not to deliver his speech because it is the speech of a corrupt government. This government had called the Governor an agent of the Congress,” Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah said.
—Agencies