Karnataka Speaker Rejects Charge of Delaying Trust Vote, Says He Has Acted Fairly

Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar on Friday rejected suggestions that he was holding up voting on Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s confidence motion, which will decide whether his government survives. He spoke as the day’s sitting began, with Governor Vajubhai Vala having fixed 1.30 pm that day as the deadline for the chief minister to prove his majority.

Speaker answers his critics

Kumar said there had been talk and “indirect comments” implying that he was stalling the process. Visibly hurt by the suggestion, he said: “I don’t have to be partisan.” He told members they were entitled to their doubts but insisted that he had conducted himself fairly throughout his public life. Attacking someone’s character was easy, he said, and those criticising him should look at their own record.

He then called on the chief minister to speak on the motion, stressing that nothing other than the trust vote would be discussed.

The Governor’s deadlines

The Governor wrote to the chief minister on Thursday, setting the deadline within hours of the Speaker adjourning the House without a vote on the motion. In the letter he said the resignations of 15 MLAs from the ruling JD(S)-Congress alliance and the withdrawal of support by two independents suggested, “prima facie”, that Kumaraswamy no longer commanded a majority in the House. He had earlier also asked the Speaker to wrap up the trust vote before the day was over.

What happened next

The Kumaraswamy-led coalition government fell in July 2019, and B. S. Yeddyurappa returned as Chief Minister of Karnataka.

See also: JD(S) | State assembly members

Originally published on 19 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us