Bengaluru, Feb 22 Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday criticised the opposition Congress for not allowing the Assembly session to function smoothly over the past few days.
"In 2018, people delivered a verdict that you are unfit to function as the ruling party. The Congress should have at least worked as an opposition party. But it has failed even as an opposition," Bommai said on Tuesday.
Speaking to mediapersons after the premature adjournment of Assembly session, the Chief Minister blamed the Congress for the session being cut short.
"The legislature session was scheduled to be held till Friday. But they (Congress) compelled it to be cut short abruptly. It is really sad. The opposition leaders frequently raise demand for a legislature session to discuss issues of public importance.
"But when the House is convened, they are not ready to participate in the proceedings. They could have highlighted any failure of the government during the debate on the Governor's address. But that did not happen," Bommai said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri adjourned the proceedings of the House till March 4, amid protests by the Congress legislatures demanding dismissal of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, K.S. Eshwarappa, for his remarks of hoisting the saffron flag at the Red Fort.
"The opposition could have raised the issue of Eshwarappa's statement and discussed it. The government was ready to reply. But they did not do so as they knew that there was nothing wrong with Eshwarappa's statement," Bommai said.
Reacting to BJP President J.P. Nadda's comment on Eshwarappa's controversial ramrk, Bommai said, "I have no information about it. I will first get official information about it."
The Chief Minister, however, stood by Eswarsappa.
"Eshwarappa's statement has been wrongly interpreted. If the full text of his statement is examined, there is nothing against the law in it. There is no aspect that could be considered as an insult to the national flag. It is very clear. The Congress is trying to exploit it politically by tweaking the statement," Bommai claimed.
"The opposition is trying to mislead the House and the people by staging a dharna. The high court is hearing intense arguments on the dress code issue. An interim order has already been passed, which is being implemented. Some people are trying to create confusion. They could have maintained calm and sent a united message of peace as education of our children in most important.
"But for them, politics has become more important. The leader of the opposition and the President of Congress are seniors. They are in politics for a long time now. People would have appreciated if they had worked as a matured opposition party," Bommai said.
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