Congress, JD(S) allege governor picked Yeddyurappa’s man, Bopaiah was protem speaker when BJP govt faced trust vote in 2008.
Bengaluru: Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala has stoked another controversy by appointing BJP leader K.G. Bopaiah — known to be close to chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa — as pro-tem speaker for Saturday’s trust vote in the state assembly.
The governor picked Bopaiah from a list of names submitted to him by the secretary of the state legislative assembly.
According to norms, the senior most MLA of the newly elected assembly should be invited to become pro-tem speaker. But the Congress and its post-poll ally JD(S) alleged that the governor once again bent rules and appointed Yeddyurappa’s man to the post.
This is not the first time Bopaiah has become a pro-tem speaker. He did the same job in 2008 when the Yeddyurappa government had to hold a trust vote to prove its numbers. At that time, the BJP was short of three MLAs to reach the magic mark of 113. Finally, five independents came to Yeddyurappa’s rescue and helped him prove majority on the floor of the House.
Bopaiah’s career as a speaker has been controversial. He had disqualified 11 BJP MLAs and five independents who had protested against Yeddyurappa in 2010 in connection with the mining scam.
Though the Karnataka High Court upheld his decision to suspend the legislators, the Supreme Court overturned the decision, calling this move a violation of natural justice and fair play.
Born in Kalur in Kodagu district, Bopaiah was a lawyer by profession before he joined politics. He became general secretary of the Kodagu district BJP. Later, he made it to the president’s post in the 1990s.
Bopaiah, who is closely associated with the RSS, was elected as an MLA in 2004 from Madikeri and since then he had held the post of speaker four times.
After being arrested during the Emergency, Bopaiah was also actively involved in the protest against the Kambadakada dam project in Kodagu.