Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the Congress will be elected to power again and he would continue to hold the CM post for another five years.
Siddaramaiah was replying to the opposition BJP members in the Assembly who had trooped into the well of the House, alleging disrespect for the MLAs and the MLCs, as the government had appointed Congress workers as the guarantee committee chairpersons and members.
The Leader of the Opposition, R Ashoka, alleged that the Congress government was setting a wrong precedent and more challenging for the next government. Quickly, the chief minister rejected his argument.
The CM said, "We will not go. We will win again. You cannot win (election). There is no second view about it." Siddaramaiah reminded the opposition that they lost the recent Assembly bypolls in Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur.
"You people had challenged us before the Assembly election as to whether we have guts and strength. You saw the fate of your challenge. We will return to power again and I will be there (as next chief minister)," he quipped.
The CM's reply comes amid power tussle between Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar.
The opposition has been upset over the appointment of Congress workers as the chairperson and members of the guarantees implementation committees saying that these committee members have a bigger say in the district administration than the MLAs and the MLCs.
The five guarantee schemes are 'Gruha Jyothi' offering 200 units electricity free to every household, 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme promising Rs 2,000 to every woman head of a family and 'Anna Bhagya' offering 10 kg rice to every member of the BPL family a month.
The 'Yuva Nidhi' scheme promises Rs 3,000 dole to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders for two years (in the 18-25 age-group) and 'Shakti' scheme permits free travel for Karnataka women to travel within the state in government non-luxury buses.
The Congress government has established guarantee implementation committee in all the districts and appointed party leaders and workers to oversee the implementation, which the BJP alleged was a breach of privilege of legislators by the ruling party, and continued their agitation for the second day in the Karnataka Assembly.
The BJP on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot requesting the annulment of state, district, and taluk- level committees set up to oversee implementation of the government’s five guarantee schemes headed by Congress workers and leaders, calling them "unconstitutional".
As the din continued in the Assembly post lunch, the chief minister made it clear that the rights of legislators will not be curtailed and their privileges will not be breached.
"We too have respect for MLAs and MLCs as you have, because I am also an MLA. That is why I will never do any work that would be disrespectful," Siddaramaiah said.
It has been the precedence from the beginning to give opportunities to the party workers and their participation in governance, which is not new as the BJP too did the same when it was in power earlier, he pointed out.
"Is it not misuse of power when the party workers are made chairpersons of boards and corporations? Who pays them? In Maharashtra you have made RSS workers Personal Assistants of all the ministers," Siddaramaiah said to the protesting BJP MLAs. This led to sloganeering by the BJP legislators making the proceedings of the House more chaotic.
The CM said, "We will not change the implementation committee, but we will not do anything that would bring disrepute to MLA/MLCs." He also told the protesting MLAs that he will tell the Deputy Commissioners of the district and Chief Executive Officers of Panchayats that they should give priority to the MLAs and MLCs.
BJP MLA Sunil Kumar charged that the chief minister’s statement differed from his orders.
BJP leader R Ashoka pointed out that the Shivamogga district in charge minister Madhu Bangarappa recently wrote to the deputy commissioner of the district that whoever is the ‘development committee president’ , his/her instructions should be followed in all the schools and colleges.
"What is the justification for such orders? Isn’t it the violation of the privilege of the MLA/MLCs? This is a violation, which will happen everyday henceforth," Ashoka alleged.
Intervening, Speaker U T Khader said Siddaramaiah has clearly said that he will give directions to the district administration not to do anything that brings disrepute to the MLAs/MLCs.
"You have brought some practical problems faced by you by the committee. After the session, discuss with the CM and explain to him your problems. He will try to resolve them," Khader said.
Siddaramaiah promised the opposition MLAs that he would convene a meeting after the adjournment of the proceedings of the House on Wednesday.
"If your problems are genuine then I will try to resolve them but it is not proper if you say not to appoint workers as the guarantee committee presidents," the CM said.
Ashoka said his party was not opposed to making the Congress workers implementation committee chairpersons. He said his objection was over giving them an office and spending Rs 18,000 to 20,000 a month on them.
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