What Will Be the Focus of the K’taka Assembly Session Starting August 11?

Bengaluru, July 19 (NationPress) The Governor of Karnataka, Thaawarchand Gehlot, has declared that the Monsoon session of the state legislature is set to commence on August 11 and will run until August 22.

In accordance with the official order, G. Sridhar, the Secretary of the Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation, has circulated a notification in the Governor's name. This notification mandates that both the State Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council will gather at 11 a.m. on August 11.

On the inaugural day, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot is scheduled to address both legislative houses. Even though the session spans 12 days, deliberations are planned for eight working days. A preliminary agenda of scheduled activities has also been made public.

This session is anticipated to feature vigorous discussions between the ruling Congress party and the opposition factions on various contentious topics, including the tragic stampede on June 4 that resulted in 11 fatalities, the proposal for a new caste census, and the controversial Bengaluru tunnel project.

Leaders from both the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP are likely to engage in mutual criticism regarding internal disputes within their parties. The Congress government has attributed the responsibility for the stampede to the police, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise, the DNA Event Management Firm, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).

In response to the Congress-led government's actions of blaming the organizers and the police, the BJP has vocally criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. BJP State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra remarked, "The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should have taken responsibility. Instead, they have scapegoated innocent police officers and blamed RCB through Michael Cunha's report." This issue is likely to incite significant uproar during the session.

The Congress government's choice to annul the previous caste census report and initiate a new census under the direction of the party high command has met with backlash from both the BJP and JD(S). The BJP has strongly opposed the state-level caste census, asserting that the central government has already declared a national census that will include caste enumeration.

The BJP has also labeled the ambitious Bengaluru tunnel project promoted by the Congress-led government as a significant scam, further heightening tensions between the two parties.

Additional issues expected to arise during the session include communal unrest, revenge killings, and the establishment of a Special Action Force (SAF) to address communal elements, specifically in light of allegations concerning targeted actions against Hindu activists in coastal Karnataka.

Meanwhile, the Congress government is preparing to present several critical bills, including the Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, the Fake News Prohibition Bill, and the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill. These legislative proposals are also anticipated to ignite intense debates in the House.