Stating that matters of utmost public importance are coming up for discussion next week, the Whip issued by the Opposition's Chief Whip in the assembly Ajay Dharam Singh has asked all the members to mandatorily participate in the proceedings from December 20-24, from the beginning till conclusion.
Five Congress legislators on Wednesday threatened to resign if senior party leader and minister K H Muniyappa's son-in-law Chikka Peddanna was given a ticket to contest from Kolar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, bringing into open the divisions in the outfit.
Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party member of Legislative Assembly Y Sampangi became the first Karnataka legislator to be convicted in a corruption case. The Lokayukta special court sentenced the BJP MLA to three-and-a half-year rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.
More trouble is brewing for self-styled godman Swami Nityanand with the Karnataka government ordering a probe into the land held by him at Bidadi, 40 km away from Bangalore.
Amid protests and anger in some quarters against observing 'Hindi Diwas', Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday his government is bringing in a legislation to make Kannada "mandatory" in the state.
The 61 year-old leader was the Minister for Home Affairs, Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Legislature in Yediyurappa's council of ministers that was dissolved on Monday and was also the Minister in-charge of Haveri and Udupi Districts.
With six children of Karnataka ministers in the Lok Sabha poll arena, the campaign scene is getting spiced up in the high-stakes elections for the ruling Congress in the state.
Troubled times for the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Karnataka seem to have come to an end as the 11 rebel members of legislative assembly have decided to be part of the B S Yeddyurappa government. After nearly two days of negotiations with rebel MLAs in New Delhi, it was decided that the time has come to provide a stable government in Karnataka.On Sunday, the rebel legislators stated that they had no demands from the ruling BJP government.
In continuing desertions from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in poll-bound Karnataka, three more Members of Legislative Assembly on Thursday quit the party, apparently to join other parties before the assembly elections in May.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa speaks to Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya, former minister and opposition Janata Dal-Secular minister M C Nanaiah, and state Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde to gauge the various conflicts that are complicating the ongoing political crisis in the state, and presents a comparative report.
The Congress in Karnataka on Tuesday claimed that Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his family have evaded income tax to the tune of Rs 339.54 crore and demanded that the Centre institute a probe into it.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is gearing up to parade his members of legislative assembly before Governor H R Bharadwaj at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.
Sriramulu has proved that a politician is true to his own self, his own needs, his own mentors of the moment, and that the public does not matter after the vote is cast. The voter is to be remembered only at the next round of elections, whenever it is, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Several BJP and JD-S leaders joining the Congress ahead of the May 10 assembly polls in Karnataka is an evidence to prove that public sentiment is in favour of the party and it will come to power, its state unit President D K Shivakumar said on Monday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he would move a resolution in the state assembly on Tuesday expressing solidarity with those living in the contentious boundary region with Karnataka.
Buoyed by the high court verdict upholding the disqualification of 11 rebel Members of Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday stepped up its attack on Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, demanding his immediate recall for 'illegal and unconstitutional acts' if he does not step down on his own."The governor of Karnataka, if he has got any respect for the Constitution and standards in public life, should quit forthwith," said Venkaiah Naidu.
The BJP and Congress have already launched spirited campaigns for the elections.
L Murugan, 44, is the only newly-sworn minister who is not a member of Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha.
Dissident Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, campaigning for Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's ouster, on Saturday discussed the latest developments in the crisis in the party with Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar, who has emerged a rallying point for the rebels, in Bengaluru.
Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are wondering if the party-led government in Karnataka will opt for the dissolution of the state assembly in the wake of the political turmoil unleashed by the renegade B S Yeddyurappa.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday bagged 110 seats in the elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly. The Congress won 80 seats, while the Janata Dal-Secular won 28 seats. Others won six.
While the past experience with the Janata Dal-Secular has ruled out a re-alliance as of now, it seems likely that the BJP may rely on the five independent candidates who have been elected on Sunday. The BJP top brass is already in touch with the five independent candidates to muster their support in order to form the first ever independent BJP government in south India.
After the Karnataka porngate scandal, two Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly from Gujarat have now come under the scanner for allegedly watching obscene pictures on a tablet during the assembly proceedings in Gandhingar.
Party members of the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular staged a dharna in the Karnataka legislative assembly on Tuesday, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged 'kickbacks' received by a trust run by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's sons, in return for Government favours. Congress leader Siddaramaiah also demanded Yeddyurappa's resignation.
The Karnataka Legislative Assembly Committee probing the porngate episode involving three former BJP ministers on Wednesday began its three-day sitting, amid continued boycott by Congress and Janata Dal Secular members, saying it would try to submit its report by the March 13 deadline set by the speaker.
A new single bench of the Karnataka high court on Wednesday adjourned the disqualification of 11 rebel Bharatiya Janata Party Members of Legislative Assembly who had challenged their disqualification from the state assembly. The case had come up before Justice V G Sabhahith after the court delivered a split verdict two days ago on the petitions. Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice N Kumar had differed on the provisions the Constitution
The man who was instrumental in installing the first Bharatiya Janata Party government in South India will quit the party after a mammoth rally in Bangalore on Friday. Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will address his supporters at the Freedom Park in Bangalore at 10.30 am on Friday and then will lead a march to the Vidhan Soudha, following which he will resign as the member of the Karnataka legislative assembly.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Secretary M K Vishalakshi, who is the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha polls, declared the 'unanimous election' of Gowda and Kharge from the Janta Dal-Secular and the Congress respectively, and BJP's Iranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti, with no extra candidate in the fray.
Since the time the elections were held in 2004, the people have just been helpless spectators to the political fiasco in the state. The JD-S initially formed the government with the Congress, and then dumped it to team up with the Bharatiya Janata Party after a power sharing pact. But when it was time to hand over power to the BJP, the JD-S backtracked. After negotiations, the two parties agreed to form the government but the JD-S again withdrew support at the last minute
The legislators had earlier been lodged in a resort on the outskirts of Chennai.
'Operation Lotus' proved to be a success in Karnataka with the Bharatiya Janata Party converting its minority government into a majority by winning 5 out of the 8 seats in the by-polls. The BJP's tally of 110 following the elections in May 2008 has now gone up to 115, which means it now has absolute majority in the Karnataka legislative assembly.
The report of the Karnataka minorities commission on the alleged Rs 2 lakh crore Wakf property scam generated considerable heat in the Legislative assembly, where an agitated opposition demanded a thorough enquiry and punishment to those found guilty.
Congress partly vehemently opposed the bill, calling it "anti people", "inhuman", "anti constitutional", "anti poor" and "draconian", and urged that it should not be passed for any reason and should be withdrawn by the government.
After the party high command ask him to resign immediately on Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is fast running out of options, and at the moment, is holed up in his residence in Bengaluru, where he is mustering the support of his members of legislative assembly. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
He said, the fresh budget of the new Congress government, which he will be presenting on July 7, is likely to be of the size Rs 3,35,000 crore.
'Mr Ballot Box' occupied the front row seat in the aircraft escorted under the watchful gaze of the Assistant Returning Officers of their respective states.
Nearly 2,000 Congress workers participated in the 'Bellary chalo' rally on Sunday from the press club at Bengaluru to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the illegal mining scam that has rocked the Karnataka legislative assembly for over a week.The 15-day rally will end at Bellary where a massive public gathering will be held. The Congress members plan to cover 20 kms everyday on foot across the state.
"There is no threat to the government. On February 8, I am going to present the budget. Nothing to worry about," he told reporters after Governor H R Bhardwaj's address to the joint state legislature session in Bengaluru.
Lingayats are said to constitute about 17 per cent of Karnataka's population, and the community has dominance in as many as 100 out of total 224 constituencies, majority of these seats being in north Karnataka region.
The bill was passed in the assembly in December last year but was pending before the council where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is one short of a majority.
