Bangalore: The city police on December 27 arrested about 20 Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) legislators who staged a ‘dharna’ in front of Vidhana Soudha, the state
secretariat, defying prohibitory orders demanding the resignation of the S M Krishna
government on the Nagappa issue.
The BJP legislators, who have been suspended from both Houses of Legislature till
December 31 for disrupting the proceedings in support of their demand for
resignation of the government, began ‘dharna’ as part of their resolve to continue
the agitation.
Opposition BJP leaders in the Assembly and Council, Jagadish Shettar and D H Shankar
Murthy, respectively, declared that the party would continue its stir till the
Krishna government resigned.
The police arrested the legislators and released them later.
In the meanwhile, the Assembly Speaker M V Venkatappa deputed the Assembly secretary
T Rajanna to invite Shettar for talks after Janata Dal- United (JD-U) and other
parties requested him to withdraw the suspension and ensure presence of BJP
members.
Shettar speaking to the press demanded that the Speaker withdraw the
suspension "unconditionally" and his party would consider returning to the House
later.
Earlier, JD-U leader, P G R Sindhia and others pleaded with the Speaker to invite
BJP leaders for talks and withdraw their suspension.
Venkatappa who expressed displeasure over the BJP members attitude in boycotting the
meeting he had called on December 24, however assured to consider the JD-U request.
PTI
