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No-trust vote against Shankarmurthy: A political drama at its worst rebuff

  • The easiest way out was to complain to the Governor
  • If the Congress had a clear majority, the Chairperson would have immediately volunteered to vacate
  •  The Congress had nothing to gain in having a LC chief at the tail end of its term
no trust vote against shankarmurthy

The ruling Congress Government in the State has created history by attempting to oust the Legislative Council Chairman D H Shankaramurthy by moving a no-confidence motion, without any rhyme or reason.  There was absolutely no need to create such a political drama, belittling the dignity of the legislative Council.  If, at least, the Congress had a clear majority in the Council, it was justified in wishing to oust a BJP LC Chairman and place one of their own in the chair.  If the Congress had a clear majority, the Chairperson would have immediately volunteered to vacate the chair and allowed the party with the majority to conduct the proceedings. Though the posts of Speaker and Chairman are apolitical, it is a tradition for a member from the party with the majority to take the chair. Hence the choice, working, ouster and retirement of the Chairman are all strong political act. The appointing and ousting of the Legislative Council chairman are therefore undertaken following purely political intentions. A clever manipulator Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has been successful in all political endeavors ever since his government came to power in the State and the futile exercise of no -confidence motion against the legislative council Chairman comes as a big slap in the face, reports Kannada Prabha.

In fact, at the fag end of its tenure, the present government had nothing great to gain by ousting the BJP LC Chairman and having one of their own on the chair.  More important for the ruling government in the Council is majority, which the Congress never had or does not have now.  However, the government had no hurdles in getting regulations passed at its convenience. All pro-people bills and those that even the Opposition approved were naturally supported by the BJP also.  Those bills that were opposed by BJP were supported by JD(S), either on the merit or for political reasons. Hence, there was no opportunity for the Congress, with no clear majority, to demand to have their own member as a Chairman at the LC.  To keep the status quo would have been smart and the Congress leaders somehow failed to apply their intelligence in realising it.

If there were any allegations against Shankaramurthy, considering the strength of the parties in the LC, things could have been sorted amicably. The easiest way out was to complain to the Governor.  It was an absolute mindless exercise resorting to no-confidence motion, with no majority and blindly trusting JD(S) would support. The biggest lesson learnt in this futile exercise is that, whatever positive development that Congress had anticipated, with regard to poll alliance, keeping in view the coming elections, JD(S) also bet on the same ground but considering it as a negative development. Both Congress and BJP need to understand that as an important political stand by JD(S).  In any case, the failing in no-confidence motion neither detrimental to the ruling government nor beneficial to Opposition.  Even in the event of winning the no-confidence motion, there would not be any considerable change.  The only thing that got recorded in the history is the inappropriate manner in which the Legislative Council members behaved towards its senior, respected Chairman.

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