Speaker Ramesh Kumar calls for reframing anti-defection law as he hears disqualification pleas

Bengaluru: Asserting there was ambiguity in the 10th schedule of the Constitution, referred to as the Anti-Defection Act, Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Monday, March 25 emphasised upon its reframing, as he heard Congress’ plea for disqualifying its four rebel MLAs.

“My whole effort is to make the lawmakers realise the ambiguity in the 10th schedule, imperfectness in the 10th schedule, infirmity in the 10th Schedule, the absolute need for reframing the 10th schedule,” Kumar said.

The speaker was hearing a petition filed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress, seeking Chincholi MLA Dr Umesh Jadhav’s disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.

Jadhav is among the four Congress MLAs, including Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak constituency), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) and B Nagendra (Ballari rural), whose disqualification Congress has sought for their anti-party activities, skipping the assembly session and legislature party meetings, violating whips.

Jadhav quit Congress and joined BJP recently to contest from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat against Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge.

Hearing Jadhav’s case in an open hall, Ramesh Kumar invited voters from Chincholi to give their viewpoints on initiating the anti-defection law that can bar Jadhav from contesting election for six years.

Addressing Kumar, a voter sought to know what was the voters’ fault that compelled Jadhav to ditch them.

She even compared Jadhav’s shifting loyalty with a husband who quits his first wife to marry again.

“How will he compensate for the damage to those who voted for you with a belief that he will take care of our constituency? We as voters want to know why he (Jadhav) is leaving us, why is he ditching us.

Let him explain whether he has a problem with the voters,” she asked.

Moved by her speech, Kumar underlined the need to reframe the tenth schedule of the Constitution, saying it did not address her point of view.