Karnataka BJP protests suspension of 18 MLAs, criticizes speaker

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 2 (ANI): Karnataka BJP leaders, led by Legislative Council Leader of Opposition (LoP) Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, staged a protest outside the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday over the suspension of 18 party MLAs from the state assembly.
The suspension, imposed for six months amid the ongoing 'honey-trap' controversy, has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition.
Karnataka BJP Chief and MLA BY Vijayendra expressed outrage over the suspension, stating, "18 BJP MLAs were suspended with unheard of strict conditions when they were protesting on the floor of the house peacefully. What nonsense is this? We respect the Speaker's chair, but the Speaker should not have acted unconstitutionally and as an agent of the state government."
He added that all BJP MLAs and MLCs have decided to boycott committee meetings until the suspension is revoked. "None of us will attend any committee meeting," Vijayendra declared.
Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, condemned the suspension as unlawful.
"This is unlawful and an anti-constitutional policy. We will not accept the 60-day suspension," he said, emphasising the party's stance on the matter.
In addition to the protest against the suspension, Narayanaswamy criticised the state government's economic policies.
He highlighted ongoing protests by the party against price hikes, stating, "Another of our protests is ongoing in the Freedom Park against the price hikes. After giving the guarantee, they (the Karnataka government) are taking fivefold more money from the people. If their price hike ways become commonplace, then our protesting will also become regular."
He also raised concerns about the state's treatment of farmers, saying, "How much are they giving to the farmers after increasing the price of milk by Rs9? They are fooling both the people and the farmers."
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, accusing them of only "engaging in politics" while asserting that the Congress government recognises people's hardship.
"Our government understands the people's hardships, but the BJP is only engaging in politics," Shivakumar told reporters while reacting to the Karnataka BJP holding protests against price hikes across multiple sectors in Karnataka.
He said that the Congress government in Karnataka has not increased waste management prices. It was, he added, the BJP that enacted legislation in this regard and implemented it in 2022.
"We have not increased the prices for waste management; it was the BJP that enacted the law and implemented it in 2022. Additionally, the central government had given directions for a price hike. The BJP had raised the prices, but we have reduced them as much as possible," Deputy CM Shivakumar said. (ANI)