K R Ramesh Kumar, who gave up the Karnataka assembly Speaker’s post on Monday, said in Hyderabad that leaving the post had left him feeling liberated. “I resigned so I should get liberated. I am now free from all shackles,” he said.

Why he quit

Kumar announced his resignation right after the House passed the confidence motion in favour of B S Yediyurappa and cleared the Appropriation Bill. He cut short a speech by D K Shivakumar, explaining that he had to reach Hyderabad for the last rites of Jaipal Reddy, a former Union minister, and described his resignation as a tribute to Reddy.

He said he had done his duty in disqualifying the rebel MLAs and hoped the decision would help uphold ethics in politics. The 17 rebels he had disqualified, he added, were free to approach the courts because that was their fundamental right, but he said the people of the state had lost faith in them and would punish them.

Kumar also spoke against nepotism, saying democratic values weaken when parties abandon their structures to promote personal and family interests. Earlier, in Bengaluru, he had said that during his 14-month tenure as Speaker he had acted according to his conscience and the Constitution.

Background

The BJP government led by Yediyurappa won the trust vote after a bitter power struggle. The 14-month-old coalition government of the Congress and H D Kumaraswamy collapsed after 16 legislators resigned and two independents switched sides.

Tribute to a mentor

Kumar called Jaipal Reddy a mentor who guided and encouraged him, and said their bond had been personal as well as political. He said he felt he had lost an elder of the family. Praising Reddy’s scholarship and commitment to his ideals, Kumar also recalled Professor Madhu Dandavate, saying such leaders did not enter politics to make a living and never switched parties for the sake of office, unlike many who “change colours every day”.

See also: Indian National Congress, Janata Dal (Secular) and state assembly members.

Originally published on 30 July 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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