Karnataka Congress lauds Horatti’s non-partisan leadership after resignation as Council Chairman

Bengaluru, Aug 7 (SocialNews.XYZ) Karnataka Congress President, B.K. Hariprasad, on Friday said he respected the decision of Basavaraj Horatti to resign as Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, describing him as a senior leader who upheld the dignity of the House and parliamentary traditions throughout his long public life.

In a statement, Hariprasad said Horatti had made a significant contribution to Karnataka's parliamentary system through his distinguished public and legislative career.

He said that as Chairman of the Legislative Council, Horatti maintained a non-partisan approach while conducting the proceedings of the House and ensured equal opportunities for both the ruling party and the Opposition to participate in debates.

"His leadership of the House with restraint, maturity and impartiality, while providing equal opportunities to all members, will be remembered," Hariprasad said.

The Karnataka Congress chief also praised Horatti's commitment to preserving the dignity of constitutional offices and the traditions of the Legislature.

"I respect his decision and fondly acknowledge his long-standing service to Karnataka's parliamentary system," Hariprasad said.

Basavaraj Horatti resigned from the post of Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council earlier on Friday. His resignation comes amid political developments surrounding the functioning of the Upper House.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) defended the resignation of Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, saying the move was in line with parliamentary convention and accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to politicise the issue for political gains.

In a press statement, KPCC Media and Communications Department Chairman and former MLC Ramesh Babu said Horatti's resignation from the Chairman's post was in accordance with established legislative practice. He said that whenever the party holding the Chairman or Deputy Chairman's post loses its numerical strength in the Legislative Council, it has been customary for the incumbent to step down voluntarily.

He noted that the Congress currently enjoys a majority in the 75-member Legislative Council with 39 members, while the BJP has 24 members, JD(S) has six and there is one Independent member. With the Council session scheduled to begin on August 13, Horatti's resignation, he said, upheld the institution's parliamentary traditions.

Ramesh Babu criticised former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for alleging political pressure behind the resignation.

He recalled that in February 2021, then Council Chairman Pratap Chandra Shetty of the Congress had resigned after the BJP gained numerical strength in the House as the BJP had then insisted on his resignation and disrupted proceedings until he stepped down.

He claimed that the BJP was now attempting to distort history and parliamentary conventions to target the Congress.

The Congress leader also claimed that BJP leaders had, until recently, tried to persuade Horatti not to resign in an attempt to retain political advantage through the Chairman's office.

Linking the controversy to the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Karnataka, Ramesh Babu alleged that more than one crore voters had been excluded from the draft electoral rolls due to the Election Commission's exercise, allegedly influenced by BJP leaders.

He accused the BJP of diverting public attention from the voters' list issue by creating a political controversy over Horatti's resignation.

The KPCC condemned what it described as the BJP's "desperate attempt" to politicise the Constitutional post of the Legislative Council Chairman and said the Opposition was resorting to the issue after failing to raise substantive public concerns inside the House.

Source: IANS