No Karnataka Assembly floor test due to ruckus

Bengaluru : The much-awaited floor test in the Karnataka Assembly could not be conducted on Thursday due to ruckus between the ruling Congress-JD-S and opposition BJP over the Governor’s ‘interference’ in the House proceedings, an official said.

“Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar adjourned the House proceedings at 6pm amid a ruckus between the ruling and opposition members over a message by Governor Vajubhai Vala to the former (Kumar) to conduct the floor test by the end of the day,” the legislative official told IANS.

The Assembly will resume on Friday 11am the debate on the confidence motion Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy moved earlier in the day to prove that his coalition government has majority in the House.

The Governor has sent a message through a Raj Bhavan official to the Speaker late afternoon to conduct the floor test by the end of the day after BJP legislators complained to him that the ruling allies were deliberately delaying the trust vote by prolonging the debate and raising extraneous matters to prevent the trial of strength.

Before the House was adjourned, BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa declared that his party members would stay put in the House overnight and even till the time the trust vote was decided.

Though Kumaraswamy moved the confidence motion at 11am Thursday and began speaking on it, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah raised a point of order on the Supreme Court’s order that the 15 rebel members of the ruling allies were not compelled to attend the session and the party’s whip will not be applicable on them to defy it.