BJP may move motion to oust Karnataka speaker KR Ramesh Kumar

The Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to seek the removal of Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar who on Thursday disqualified three rebel Congress legislators, creating panic among 14 others MLAs who helped bring down the Congress-JD(S) government and crown the BJP’s BS Yediyurappa as the chief minister for the fourth time, two persons familiar with the matter said.

A notice to move a resolution for the removal of the speaker, who belongs to the Congress, will be submitted “at the earliest” to pre-empt any move by him to further disqualify the rebel MLAs, some of whom are expected to be inducted as ministers in the Yediyurappa government.

“The rebel MLAs were jittery because of the delay on the part of the BJP to take a call (on forming the government) and the Thursday decision by the speaker to disqualify three MLAs for the remaining term of the assembly,” one of the two people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

“We will decide on the timing on the notice for removal of the speaker. It will be at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The speaker said on Thursday he would decide on both resignations and disqualification pleas pending before him in respect of 14 other MLAs “in the next couple of days”

Article 179 (C) of the constitution provides that a speaker of the assembly can be removed from his office by a resolution of the assembly passed by a majority. A 14-day notice period is required to move such a resolution against a sitting speaker, but such a resolution limits power of the speaker. Effectively, once such a motion is moved, a speaker can’t disqualify anyone.

Article 181 of the constitution says the speaker will not preside over the house while a resolution for his removal from office is under consideration. In the absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker takes charge. JD(S) leader M Krishna Reddy is the deputy speaker in the Karnataka assembly.

In a matter relating to disqualification of 14 legislators by the Arunachal Pradesh assembly, the Supreme Court held in July 2016 that “it would be constitutionally impermissible for a speaker to adjudicate upon disqualification petitions under the Tenth Schedule, while a notice of resolution for his own removal from the office of speaker, is pending.”

The support of rebel MLAs will be crucial to provide stability to the BJP government, and every possible measure will be taken up to ensure that they are not disqualified, the second BJP leader said, also on condition of anonymity.

BJP’s working president Jagat Prakash Nadda said the HD Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka fell under its own weight and the Bharatiya Janata Party will provide a stable government in the state. “The BJP is synonymous with stability. Wherever we go, we bring stability.”

Nadda spoke on the Karnataka crisis for the first time, and said that the state BJP will decide on how to deal with the Congress and JD(S) MLAs, who rebelled against the coalition government, and on the fate of the speaker.

Yeddiyurappa became chief minister for the fourth time on Saturday. At 76, he is an exception to the BJP’s rule of leaders above the age of 75 retiring. He was the leader of the BJP legislature party in the state and it was natural for him to be the party’s choice for the chief minister’s post, Nadda said.