Speaker acted within his wisdom

 BANGALORE: There seems to be no end to the cup of woes for the three-year-old BJP government in the state. If dissidence has become a running tragedy for the first-ever BJP government in the South, the Supreme Court’s Wednesday verdict terming Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah’s order disqualifying 16 MLAs mala fide is definitely a loss of face.When contacted by Express, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar refused to comment, stating that he had not seen the full text of the judgment. “Yet, without attributing motives to the judges and with due respect to the highest court of the land as well as to its judgment, I am of the view that the Speaker had acted within his wisdom and jurisdiction in a bona fide manner,” he said.Defending the Speaker’s decision by giving an analogy, another minister, on condition of anonymity, said, “If a judgment of the lower court was not upheld by the SC, does it mean that the lower court judge who delivered the verdict should resign? It is all about one’s understanding and interpretation of law.”Asked if the SC verdict would have any adverse impact on the government’s survival, Suresh Kumar said: “The survival of the government depends on the majority of the ruling party. After the SC delivered the gist of its judgment on the same issue in May last year, we won two confidence motions. The 16 MLAs are already part of the legislature party and have voted in favour of the government. There is no threat to the government,” he asserted.On the Opposition’s decision to move a no- confidence motion against the Speaker, Suresh Kumar said the ruling party was aware of it and would “cross the bridge when it comes”.Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, meanwhile, asserted that the SC verdict vindicated his stand that the disqualification of MLAs was mala fide. JD (S) floor leader H D Revanna too expressed similar views, and both the leaders said they would move a no-confidence motion against the Speaker.