Karnataka: Congress to face stormy winter session?

Belagavi: The 10-day winter session of the Karnataka Legislature will begin on Monday in the border town of Belagavi which will be the political hub of the state during this period. This is an important session as far as Speaker, K.B. Koliwad as well as the ruling Congress are concerned.

The Congress in particular will have to face many tough questions that will be raised by the Opposition parties while the Speaker faces a Herculean task in implementing his new set of rules being devised for the smooth functioning of the Legislature.

The Opposition is likely to corner the state government on various issues, including murder of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party  (BJP) workers and a minister allegedly watching sleazy pictures on his mobile phone at a public function.

During the session which will continue till December 2, the dispute over cases booked against farmers, Mahadayi river water sharing involving Maharashtra and Goa, as well as the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane crop are likely to be raised.

The controversy over the Belagavi mayor and deputy mayor, who are aligned with Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), observing ‘Black Day’ on Karnataka Rajyotsava (state formation day) on November 1 is also likely to come up for discussion as a few pro-Kannada organisations have demanded their suspension.

The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti has been fighting for merger of Belgavi and some other areas bordering Maharashtra, with the neighbouring state. Apart from this, the session is expected to pass new House rules to be followed by members both in the Assembly and Council, which have been proposed by Speaker K.B. Koliwad.

However, a senior leader and former Speaker on the condition of anonymity observed that Mr Koliwad’s intentions are good but even after the passage of the bill, the rules cannot be implemented.

“What will happen to protests launched in the second half of the session if the opposition wants to continue this the next day? Eventually, it will turn out be a futile exercise and just another law that will bite the dust over a period of time,” the leader explained while dwelling on the challenges which  Mr Koliwad will face during the session.