Goolihatti gets one-day suspension

BANGALORE: Independent MLA Goolihatti Shekhar was sent out of the Assembly on Friday for addressing K G Bopaiah as a “tainted Speaker”. When his name was called to raise an issue during Zero Hour, Shekhar, who has been spearheading the “Oust Speaker” campaign following the Supreme Court’s remarks against the latter, started his speech by addressing Bopaiah as “Mr tainted Speaker”.Angered by Shekhar’s remark, ruling party MLAs, including Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Sureshkumar took objection and demanded that the Speaker send him out. “Members must respect the chair and derogatory remarks must not be tolerated,” said Sureshkumar. Speaker Bopaiah then announced that Shekhar had been suspended from the House for a day under Rule 347 and asked the marshalls to send him out. When marshalls approached Shekhar to execute the Speaker’s order, the latter objected to the order and continued with his slogans against Bopaiah. Later, he was sent out of the House.The Speaker did not yield to Congress members U T Khader and Sayyed Yasin’s request to forgive Shekhar and allow him to participate in the proceedings by giving him a warning.