K'taka Speaker asks CM and Ministers not to skip Assembly proceedings

Bengaluru: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri on Tuesday urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs J C Madhuswamy to direct the ministers to be present in the House during the legislature proceedings.

The Karnataka legislature session for ten days will take place from September 13 to 24 in Bengaluru.

In separate missives to Bommai and Madhuswamy, the Speaker has drawn the attention of both the leaders to the “general practice” on the part of the ministers to seek permission or exemption from House proceedings owing to the constituency-related works, a communique from Kageri”s office said.

However, the absence of the ministers during the debate is neither advisable nor acceptable as many ministers concerned will have to reply to the questions raised by the members on matters of public importance, Kageri explained.

“The absence of ministers would deprive the members of the opportunity to get a reply from the treasury benches. It is in this background, I would like to prevail upon both of you to direct the ministers to be present in the House,” the Speaker said in his letter.

Kageri has also addressed similar letters to all the ministers individually in which he has prevailed upon them to ensure that they take part in the House proceedings and not to seek permission/exemption citing programmes in their respective constituencies, the statement said.

The Speaker has also directed the Chief Secretary to instruct the officers to be present during the session.