Congress to boycott Karnataka assembly budget session

The opposition Congress in Karnataka today decided to boycott the ongoing extended budget session of legislature to press for its demand for the resignation of assembly speaker KG Bopaiah in the light of the Supreme Court's "strictures" while quashing his order disqualifying 16 MLAs.

Ending two days of hectic consultations among its legislators of both assembly and council, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) unanimously decided to stay away from the session, setting the stage for another confrontation with ruling BJP.

Congress was also demanding resignation of chief minister BS Yeddyurappa over the recent apex court ruling.

Demanding the resignations of Yeddyurappa and Bopaiah, Congress members had yesterday had staged a walkout in the Assembly shortly before the chief minister won a trust vote.

Announcing the CLP decision, leader of the opposition in the assembly Siddaramaiah told reporters, "Bopaiah has degraded the Speaker's position by not giving an opportunity to make preliminary submission on the adjournment motion the Congress moved yesterday on the issue. The way Yeddyurappa and Bopaiah are conducting themselves is a dangerous trend to whole democratic set up," he claimed.

Siddaramaiah sought to disagree with the contention of the speaker and the government that the Supreme Court had not passed any strictures, but only made certain observations on the disqualification order passed by Bopaiah.