K’taka Assembly Monsoon Session begins today; Oppn ready to target Cong govt
Bengaluru: The Monsoon Assembly session will commence on Monday, with the opposition BJP and JD(S) preparing to target the Congress-led government over various issues, including the stampede tragedy, urea shortage, and alleged misuse of SC/ST funds.
Before attending the sessions in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, the BJP and JD(S) have decided to stage a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of the Vidhana Soudha. The protest will highlight the government’s failure to prevent the stampede tragedy, which claimed 11 lives on June 4 during the RCB victory celebrations and other issues.
The opposition also plans to question the government over its failure to supply urea fertiliser to farmers, the busting of a drug racket in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s native Mysuru by the Mumbai Police, and alleged discrepancies in the allocation of funds to opposition MLAs.
The Congress-led government’s proposal to divide Bengaluru into five corporations is also expected to trigger heated debates in the session.
The Monsoon session will run for nine days, during which the government plans to present 27 bills for approval. Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi to discuss an effective strategy to counter the ruling party.
The BJP and JD(S) have also decided to use statements made by Congress legislators against their own government, as well as the leadership change row, to intensify their attack on the Congress-led administration.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led government is preparing to counter the opposition by citing a statement made by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on the floor of the House.
Sawant said that Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav had assured him that the Centre would not permit Karnataka to begin the crucial Mahadayi project. The ruling party also plans to highlight the Maharashtra BJP-led government’s objections to raising the height of the Alamatti dam in Belagavi.
Both these issues concern providing drinking water and irrigation for districts in north Karnataka, considered strongholds of the BJP in the state.