Protests rocked the Karnataka legislative assembly proceedings on Monday with opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal-Secular staging a day long agitation from the well, demanding the suspension of minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the House over his alleged 'Muslim Speaker' remark.
Amidst the din, the House witnessed five bills being passed without discussion, and winding up of a discussion on drought with the government's reply.
The ruling Congress and Speaker UT Khader did not heed to the BJP's demand and continued with the proceedings of the House.
Khan, the minister for housing, Waqf and minority affairs during a recent election campaign in Telangana had said that BJP leaders bowed before a Muslim speaker (UT Khader) in the Karnataka legislative assembly, thanks to the opportunity given by the Congress.
The government's attempts to defend Khan's statement drew ire from BJP legislators, who called it "anti constitution, anti Hindu" and disrespectful to the position of the speaker.
They also hit out at Speaker Khader accusing him of conducting the proceeding in a dictatorial manner like a "Congress speaker" and insulting the Opposition.
When Khan rose to respond to a question raised by BJP MLA Krishna Naik during the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition Ashoka objected to it and said that Khan had disrespected the position of the speaker and tried to disturb the feelings of Hindus and Muslims, adding that they "would not allow him (to speak)."
Ashoka was joined by several BJP legislators while several Congress MLAs stood up in Khan's defence.
This resulted in a verbal battle between both sides and plunged the House into chaos.
The Leader of Opposition said that the Chair should have acted against Khan and suspended him.
"Are we (BJP MLAs) gulams (slaves)? To say salaam the way he (Khan) has said," Ashoka said. -- PTI
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