Historic occasion reduced to insipid affair

BENGALURU: The historic ceremony to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Vidhana  Soudha was reduced to an insipid affair as chaos, controversies and  confrontation ruled through the day-long chain of events that marked the occasion.

While President Ram Nath Kovind’s address praising Tipu Sultan and missing out the name of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda made BJP and JD(S) members see red, the photo session of the legislators with the President proved a disaster of sorts in terms of protocol.
Feeling insulted at the lack of designated seating arrangement for former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and floor leader in Legislative Council Basavarj Horatti befitting their status for the photo shoot, JD(S) legislators boycotted the event.

“Chairman of Legislative Council D H Shankaramurthy and Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad have insulted us as they are running the entire show according to their whim and fancy. As a former chief minister, Kumaraswamy should have been seated in the front row with the President. But he was asked to sit in the back row, while another former CM Jagadish Shettar was seated in the front,” Horatti said, announcing the boycott of the photo  shoot.

Conveying their opposition to “big  splurge” on the event JD(S) members boycotted the lunch too and refused  to even drink water provided during the ceremony.Senior  JD(S) leader HD Revanna, known for his staunch belief in choosing the auspicious time to stir out of his home arrived too late for the historic session. The event was over and the national anthem was being played when he entered the house.
Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa stayed away from the  function.Most of the legislators, journalists and guests did not turn up for the lunch, which was a simple vegetarian spread that again raised questions about the reported spending of `800 per meal.

Passersby try hard to catch a glimpse of Soudha’s show
The lawns of Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday turned into an open ground for many who wanted to watch the diamond jubilee celebrations. Passersby on Ambedkar Veedhi Road halted to watch the laser lights show while some other stopped to take a selfie even as the traffic police made attempts to clear the vehicles.  A display of the state’s schemes were projected on the building. Those without passes chose to jump the railings on the pavement and sit on the lawn to watch the show. It began as an introduction to Kengal Hanumanthaiah and his dreams.

PIL against money spent on Soudha diamond jubilee
A public interest litigation (PIL) questioning the amount spent for the diamond jubilee celebrations of Vidhana Soudha was heard by the High Court, here on Wednesday. A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar adjourned the hearing to Thursday. Petitioner S N Aravinda has sought directions to stop spending of the money for the celebrations, calling it wasteful. The petitioner, who argued his case on his own, contended that `10 crore spent on the function could have been used for some other constructive purpose.