Oppn BJP faces lack of floor coordination in cornering Cong govt in Assembly

Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 9 (PTI) Lack of floor coordination within the Karnataka BJP was visible to an extent on the first day of the winter session of the Legislative Assembly here on Monday, as the party sought to corner the Congress government on the Waqf issue.

This has come amid factional rift within the party, with senior MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal-led group openly criticising state BJP leadership, especially its president B Y Vijayendra.

As Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka was urging Speaker U T Khader to allow a discussion on Waqf issue, all of a sudden Yatnal raised a separate issue.

Soon after the obituary reference, Ashoka along with some BJP MLAs, including C N Ashwath Narayan, demanded that discussion on Waqf issue, based on their adjournment notice, be taken up first.

Even as Speaker U T Khader was trying to convince the Leader of Opposition and the BJP members who were on their toes, after heated argument with the ruling party members, saying that government is ready for discussion on the Waqf issue and he would allow it after the question hour, citing rules, all of a sudden Yatnal alleged that the Belagavi district administration has put restrictions on a protest planned by Panchamasali Lingayat community tomorrow.

Ashoka and others seemed surprised by this move and were seen looking at each other, when Yatnal and MLAs like Deputy Leader of Opposition Arvind Bellad, C C Patil and others trooped into the well of the House, demanding answers from the government and the chief minister.

At this point, taking a dig at the BJP, Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said, "There are two BJPs, one in the well and the others are not, whom to consider..." Following this, Ashoka and other MLAs, however, joined their voice to the issue raised by Yatnal.

Seeking to know why restrictions had been imposed on the protest by a community, they asked "can no one raise their voice against this government? This is a Hitler government." PTI KSU KH