The 10-day Karnataka Legislative Assembly Winter session begins from Monday, November 13 and political circles are predicting an intense discussion in the Assembly as the ruling BJP is expected to table a new Bill on preventing religious conversions, which is likely going to be opposed by the Congress party. Congress leader Siddaramaiah and the party's state chief DK Shivakumar are expected to raise the bitcoin scandal in the Assembly, as they have alleged that top leaders from the ruling party’s top leaders have gained hundreds of crores of rupees through the scandal.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, while interacting with the media, said that a decision on the anti-conversion bill, which is before the scrutiny committee of the law department, will be taken on Monday. Once it gets clearance from the committee, it will come to the cabinet. After discussion, the new legislation would be tabled before the state Assembly.
“Every law will have pros and cons and there will be discussions. But, what is good for the people would be made as a law. We are ready to discuss the new law in the session," he said.
"We are ready to face the opposition parties on all issues including new legislation. We want to discuss and take decisions on pro-people issues. Especially north Karnataka region development issues would be focused on. We are ready and prepared. The answers in session would be given on realistic grounds,” the Chief Minister stated.
The Opposition is also planning to bring up a 40% commission allegation made by the contractors against the ruling BJP government. The contractors have also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the state government and bureaucrats of forcing them to give 40% cuts in all projects causing severe embarrassment to the ruling establishment. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered a high-level inquiry into the allegations made by the contractors. The session is being held amid the fears of the Omicron variant as per the wishes of Bommai, as he hails from the North Karnataka region. Earlier, the winter session was held in Bengaluru following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ruling BJP is confident of tabling the anti-conversion law bill in the Assembly and making its agenda of Hindutva clear to gain the momentum for the next Assembly elections in 2023. The Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, however, seems to have suffered a setback in the backdrop of infighting within the Congress party.
Senior Congress leader BB Chimmanakatti had openly chided Siddaramaiah that he had to come to the Badami constituency as he didn't have the capacity to win in the Chamundeshwari constituency, which he was representing. Siddaramaiah, then Chief Minister, had suffered a humiliating defeat in the Chamundeshwari constituency in the last Assembly elections but had managed to win the Badami seat with a thin margin. He contested from two constituencies.
The session is being held amid the fears of the Omicron variant in Belagavi, the bordering district of Maharashtra where 17 cases of the Omicron variant have been found.