Stage set for joint session of Karnataka legislature amid Hijab row

www.mangaloretoday.com

Bengaluru, Feb 13, 2022: The joint session of the Karnataka Legislature that will begin from Monday is likely to be rocked by the ongoing Hijab row and related law and order situation in the state, allegations of kickbacks by contractors association and Mekedatu project implementation issue, among others.

The 10-day session that will go on till February 25, will begin with Karnataka Governor Chand Gehlot addressing the joint sitting of members of both Legislative Assembly and the Council on the first day.

This will be Gehlot’s first address to the joint session, after taking over as the Governor in July, last year. Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri on Saturday said that after several years, the Governor will take the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha to enter the legislative assembly chamber, the venue of the joint session.

The session is expected to be stormy as the principal opposition party, the Congress is likely to corner the government on several issues, including the hijab controversy, and the related law and order situation, with protests in this regard turning violent in some parts.

The row has already taken political colour, as the ruling BJP stood strongly in support of uniform related rules followed by educational institutions, calling the headscarf, a religious symbol, while the opposition Congress has come out in support of Muslim girls. Both parties have even blamed each other for the issue being escalated into a major controversy. The Congress is also likely to raise the issue of 40 per cent kickback charges levelled by the Karnataka State Contractors  Association against politicians, Ministers and bureaucrats.

Issues relating to the government’s handling of economy, getting funds from the centre, "unilateral" announcement of the river linking project in the union budget, Covid situation, among other issues are also likely to come up for discussion the session. Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of Congress legislature party on February 14, to discuss the strategy for the session.