With the BJP government in the State failing to get the nod of the Legislative Council for amendments to three crucial Bills — all of which were to replace Ordinances — during the legislature session that concluded in the early hours of Sunday, these Ordinances will have to be promulgated again.
Even before the legislature session commenced, the Opposition parties and labour and farmers groups had criticised the Ordinances as “anti-labour” and “anti-farmer”.
The 75-member Council, where the combined Opposition of the Congress and JD(S) is in the majority, on Saturday defeated the Industrial Disputes and Certain Other Laws (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2020, while the Council was adjourned sine die later in the midst of the discussion on the Karnataka Land Reforms (Second) Amendment Bill, 2020, without passing it. The Karnataka Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was not taken up for discussion. All three Bills had earlier been passed by the Legislative Assembly.
“In recent decades, this is the first time such a thing has happened,” a legislature secretariat source said. On Sunday morning, when BJP MLCs met the Chief Minister, the matter came up for discussion.
Government sources said the Ordinances promulgated earlier would remain in force for six weeks from the date of the legislature being convened (in this case, September 21). “If the government wants the changes before the legislature is reconvened, it can promulgate another Ordinance after the lapse of the current one,” the source said.
The Council session, which went past 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, saw heated arguments between the treasury and Opposition benches. While the Opposition members insisted that discussion on subjects such as problems at the Government Medical College in Mandya, the alleged BDA scam, and the recent violence at D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli had to be taken up under Rule 330, the treasury bench was keen on the passage of the Bills. Finally, as the members became weary with the proceedings moving past midnight, the Council was adjourned in the midst of the discussion on the land reforms Bill, much to the chagrin of the ruling party.
Sources in the legislature secretariat said the labour Bill was sent back to the Assembly after the Council defeated it, but the Assembly could not take it up. “If the Ordinance is promulgated again, fresh replacement Bills have to be placed before the Assembly again and due process has to be followed,” the source said.
‘Disappointed’
BJP spokesperson and MLC N. Ravikumar said, “We are disappointed with the chain of events in the Council on Saturday night. The chair should have at least given a ruling on the land reforms Bill. The House was adjourned sine die abruptly.” The developments in the Council after the labour reforms Bill was defeated came as no surprise, and the Opposition was expected to stall the other two Bills, he added. Interestingly, senior BJP member Ayanur Manjunath had also opposed the labour Bill, terming it anti-labour.