K'taka Assembly Session from Aug 11; stampede tragedy, caste census likely to dominate

Bengaluru, July 19 (IANS) Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has announced that the Monsoon session of the state legislature will begin on August 11 and continue until August 22.

According to the order, G. Sridhar, Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, has issued a notification in the name of the Governor. The notification directs that both the State Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council will convene at 11 a.m. on August 11.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will address both Houses of the state legislature on the opening day. Although the session spans 12 days, proceedings are scheduled to take place on eight working days. A tentative list of scheduled business has also been released.

The session is expected to witness intense debates between the ruling Congress and the opposition parties on a range of contentious issues, including the June 4 stampede tragedy that claimed 11 lives, the decision to conduct a fresh caste census, and the controversial Bengaluru tunnel project.

Leaders from both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP are likely to target each other over internal conflicts within their respective parties. The Congress government has shifted the blame for the stampede onto the police, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise, DNA Event Management Firm, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

Criticising the Congress-led government for blaming the organisers and the police, the BJP has taken a strong stance against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. State BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra stated, "The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should have taken responsibility. Instead, they’ve scapegoated innocent police officers and blamed RCB through Michael Cunha’s report." The issue is expected to create a major uproar during the session.

The Congress government's decision to scrap the previous caste census report and conduct a fresh census on the directive of the party high command has drawn criticism from both the BJP and JD(S). The BJP has strongly opposed the caste census by the state, arguing that the central government has already announced a national census, including caste enumeration.

The BJP has also branded the Congress-led government's ambitious Bengaluru tunnel project as a major scam, further escalating tensions between the two sides.

Other issues expected to surface during the session include communal unrest, revenge killings, and the formation of a Special Action Force (SAF) to tackle communal elements, particularly in response to allegations of targeted action against Hindu activists in coastal Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the Congress government is preparing to table several significant bills, including the Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, the Fake News Prohibition Bill, and the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill. These bills are also expected to spark intense debates in the House.

--IANS

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