Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti Resigns

Basavaraj Horatti, the Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, tendered his resignation on Friday, at a party Congress’s request. The leader explained to reporters that he didn’t know why Congress asked him to resign.

“The ruling party wants me to resign. The Chief Minister spoke to me twice over the phone. Yesterday, he called me for a personal meeting and told me that the party high command had directed him to ask me to quit. He said that if I didn’t resign, they would move a no-confidence motion against me,” Horatti told reporters.

The leader went on to say that he has made the decision to step down “respectfully” on August 14.

After bringing up the issue with the House, Horatti stated that he was “deeply pained” by the events and intended to step down. He was quoted as saying by news agency PTI, “I don’t want to continue when there is a view that I should no longer occupy the Chair. I will resign.”

The chairman of the legislative council continued by saying that ministers and chief minister DK Shivakumar had informed him that the party high command had made the choice to dismiss him and that they personally thot highly of him.

According to reports, this development follows the approval of Saleem Ahmed as the party’s nominee for Legislative Council Chairman and Umashree for Deputy Chairperson, as well as the list of ministers sworn in on Monday, by the Congress high command in a letter to Shivakumar.

Horatti called the action “unprecedented” and reaffirmed his disapproval of it.

He expressed his sadness and added “It is an anti-democratic move,” adding that the House, not the party’s high command, should have the authority to choose the Speaker of the Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council.