Impossible to tolerate insult to 'chair', says Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader

Bengaluru, Mar 22 (PTI) Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Saturday said it is impossible to tolerate the insult to the ‘chair’, which is the symbol of parliamentary democracy.

Eighteen BJP MLAs were suspended for six months from the Assembly on Friday after they went up to the podium and threw the bill pertaining to the four per cent reservation to the Muslims in government contracts on the Speaker.

Khader said people should know that no one is above the Assembly in the state and it is the duty of everyone to respect it. The Speaker is the head of the House and he holds the constitutional post, he explained, while speaking to reporters.

He also stated that the BJP MLAs showed no remorse for their action despite being suspended.

According to him, the decision to suspend MLAs was necessary because their action will become precedence at Panchayat and municipal bodies.

“There was a need to send a message to check such tendencies. We need to convey to the people why we should respect constitutional posts. That’s why the decision (to suspend BJP MLAs) was taken,” Khader told reporters.