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In an unprecedented move, 18 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs were suspended for six months from the Karnataka assembly on Friday for 'indiscipline' and 'disrespecting' the Speaker, following which they were forcefully evicted from the House by marshals after they refused to leave.
The incident took place on the final day of the assembly's budget session, when opposition BJP MLAs staged a protest against the 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts and called for a judicial inquiry into the alleged 'honey-trap' attempt against Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna.
Amidst the chaos, the assembly passed key bills, including one to provide 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts and another approving a salary hike for the Chief Minister, Ministers, and all legislators, without any discussion.
The suspension of the 18 members for six months is considered unprecedented, as such action is usually limited to the remainder of the ongoing legislature session.
Currently, the BJP holds 66 seats in the 224-member Karnataka assembly, including one from the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) after its merger with the BJP.
During the protest, some BJP legislators climbed onto the podium where Speaker U T Khader's chair was located and surrounded it, while others, protesting from the well of the House, hurled papers at him.
The marshals were required to forcefully evict the saffron party MLAs who had surrounded the Speaker's chair.
When the House reconvened after being adjourned due to the disruption, the Speaker named the 18 BJP MLAs for 'indiscipline' and 'disrespecting' the chair.
The resolution to suspend the MLAs was then moved by the state's Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil and was adopted by the Assembly through a voice vote.
After the suspension, the suspended MLAs refused to leave the assembly, and marshals forcibly removed them from the House.
They literally carried the MLAs outside the Assembly.
Those who were suspended are the BJP chief whip Doddanagouda Patil, former Deputy CM C N Ashwath Narayan, S R Vishwanath, B A Basavaraju, M R Patil, Channabasappa, B Suresh Gowda, Umanath Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Dr Shailendra Beldale, C K Ramamurthy, Yashpal Suvarna, B P Harish, Bharath Shetty, Dheeraj Muniraju, Chandru Lamani, Muniratna and Basavaraj Mattimud.
While reading out the suspension order, Khader said, "The incident has hurt us a lot and it's painful. This seat is not just a chair. This is the symbol of democracy, truth and justice. To speak from this chair is a matter of pride. Every member should protect the dignity and sanctity of this chair. None of us are above the chair. Our personal sentiments should not be above the dignity of this chair.
"We should behave with commitment, calm and in a civilised way. Let this incident be a lesson for us. Let us in the coming days respect the constitution and sanctity of this chair."
"This chair cannot tolerate interrupting the proceedings of the House, ignoring the dignity of the Chair and behaving in a way that damages the parliamentary traditions," he added, and named 18 BJP MLAs.
Earlier, while proposing the suspension of the MLAs, Minister Patil described their actions as 'goondagiri behaviour' and said such conduct could not be tolerated.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka condemned the resolution, saying the government should be ashamed after Minister K N Rajanna raised the issue of 'honey trap' attempts against him and the government failed to protect him.
Ashoka also accused the Speaker of 'disrespecting' democracy by taking action to suspend the MLAs.
Later, when the 'Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025,' which provides for 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts, came up for passage, the House witnessed more chaos.
Opposition BJP MLAs staged another protest by climbing onto the podium where Speaker U T Khader's chair was located and threw papers at him as the assembly passed the bill.
Marshals were once again forced to evict the BJP MLAs who attempted to surround the Speaker's chair, following Khader's directions.
The bill was passed amid the disruption, and the House was subsequently adjourned sine die.
The BJP condemned the suspension of 18 party MLAs from the Assembly and called the move 'undemocratic'.
The party accused the ruling Congress of committing a 'grave injustice' to the suspended MLAs, who were protesting against the four per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts and charges of an attempted 'honey trap' involving Karnataka ministers.
The BJP legislators also submitted a memorandum to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to reject the reservation for Muslims in public contracts through the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill.
A similar display of unruly behavior was witnessed in the Legislative Council, where BJP MLCs tore the bill and threw it from the well of the House, directly in front of Council Chairperson Basavaraj Horatti.