(Source: PTI)Karnataka MLAs and MLCs might get a big gift to mark the diamond jubilee of Vidhana Soudha. In fact, lawmakers may well get gold biscuits as gifts during the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Vidhana Soudha scheduled for October 25 and 26 if the legislature’s secretariat has its way. The secretariat, which is already being severely criticised for drawing up a Rs 26.87-crore plan to organise the celebrations, has now proposed to give away expensive gifts to MLAs as well as MLCs. As per a report by India Today, each gold biscuit will cost about Rs 55,000 and will be embossed with the state emblem of Karnataka and a miniature model of the Vidhana Soudha. As per the report, speaker KB Koliwad said, “It is just at a proposal stage. We have submitted this to the finance department. The CM is the finance minister and he needs to take a decision.”
It has also been proposed to gift the secretariat staff, from the Upper and Lower Houses, silver plates worth about Rs 6,000 each. The secretariat recently invited President Ramnath Kovind to address a special joint session of the legislature on the occasion. Cultural programmes have been organised on both the days on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha. Senior ministers have expressed displeasure at the legislature secretariat’s “unilateral” decision to organise the celebrations. Dinesh Gundu Rao, the working president of the Karnataka Congress Committee told India Today, “This kind of proposal is just not acceptable to us and there is no need to spend such money for such things. We can use the money for other things, and we should not waste the tax payers money like this. I will definitely convey my objection to the chief minister.”
In the latest update, KB Koliwad, Karnataka Assembly Speaker was quoted by ANI saying, “I assure you there is no proposal for distribution of gold coins & silver plates (to MLAs).”
