LS security breach: Karnataka Assembly adjourned following ruckus between Congress and BJP MLAs

Belagavi: The Karnataka Assembly witnessed ruckus over the security breach at Parliament on Wednesday as Congress and BJP members locked horns, forcing Speaker UT Khader to briefly adjourn the House.

At first, Law & Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil made a statement on the floor of the House expressing concern over the incident inside Parliament.

Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, Home Minister G Parameshwara and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the breach and called for enhanced security arrangements. They also said passes should be issued after thorough checks.

However, tempers rose after Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar named BJP MP Pratap Simha. “Pratap Simha is an intelligent man. I don't know why he gave passes (to such people). MPs ran like mice,” Shivakumar said.

Objecting to Simha’s name being mentioned, Ashoka pointed out that Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh is also an MP. “What if he was the one who gave the passes? (Shivakumar) shouldn’t politicise this,” Ashoka said.

IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge charged that the BJP would have gone berserk if it was a Congress MP who had issued passes to the Parliament trespassers. “If it was a Congress MP, by now the BJP would have branded us as traitors. Shouldn’t we question the action of a BJP MP?” he said.

Accusing Congress of politicising the matter, Ashoka remarked, “When Shivakumar said those accused of the Mangaluru cooker blast were his brothers, we didn’t brand him as a terrorist.”

Before the ruckus, Patil said there should not be any compromise when it comes to security.

Ashoka described the security breach as a warning to all constitutional institutions in India. “As lawmakers, we sign passes that our PAs give to those who come asking. We issue passes with good intent. But when such things happen, we become villains,” he said.

Parameshwara said identification must be mandatory while issuing passes. “In the corridor (of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha) yesterday, there were 300-400 people. I took the cops to task for the crowding. The chief minister couldn't even walk towards the elevator,” he said, urging the Speaker to issue necessary directions on beefing up security as the legislature is his jurisdiction.

Siddaramaiah, too, said passes should be issued only to known people. “At the outset, this looks like a security breach. Two men carried gas canisters. If they were checked properly, this wouldn’t have happened,” he said.