K’taka Legislative Council sitting convened on Dec 15

Bengaluru: A sitting of the current session of the Karnataka Legislative Council has been convened on December 15, days after the House was adjourned sine die by Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty. The council secretariat issued the order convening the sitting a day after the ruling BJP MLCs submitted a representation to Governor Vajubhai Vala appealing him to direct the Chairman to conduct the House for taking up the no-confidence motion against him.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said the government has decided to convene the Council sitting on December 15. Besides the no-confidence motion, legislative business such as the anti-cow slaughter bill could not be taken up due to the adjournment.

Shetty had on Wednesday set aside the BJP’s attempt to move the no-confidence motion against him stating that he was taking legal opinion and refused to include it in the agenda citing rules that the subject could be taken up only after 14 days after submission of the notice. The legislators in their joint letter to Vala had termed as unconstitutional the abrupt adjournment of the Council.

”In our view Chairman does not enjoy the majority of the house and it is unacceptable that without the majority he wants to continue as Chairman till next session,” they said in the letter. They said certain members of the Council had given a notice of no-confidence motion against the Chairman on November 11. Accordingly 14 days after the receipt of notice, the Chairman was supposed to allow the resolution.

Shetty, a Congress MLC, was elected as the Chairman during the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2018. In the council, the BJP has 31 members, Congress 28, the JD(S) 14, an independent member and the chairman.

According to the BJP sources, the party is anticipating support from the JD(S) for the no-confidence motion.