JD(S) legislators staged a walkout, refusing to participate in a group photograph session with President Ram Nath Kovind soon after he addressed a joint session of both Houses of the legislature on the occasion of Vidhana Soudha’s diamond jubilee celebration on Wednesday.
“The celebration was like a private marriage function,” JD(S) leader and former minister Basavaraj Horatti told reporters. “It was like a circus,” he added.
Read more: Plea against Soudha diamond jubilee fete
Horatti took umbrage to President Kovind missing out on JD(S) supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s name, while recalling some of Karnataka’s prominent chief ministers. “We’re unhappy that the names of a former prime minister and former chief minister (Kumaraswamy) were missing. Also, during the photo session, there was no preference to senior legislators. I’m the senior-most, but they don’t care about protocol,” he charged.
Earlier, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy had announced that no legislator from the party would eat lunch served as part of the diamond jubilee celebration as a sign of protest against the whopping Rs 10 crore being spent by the legislature secretariat for the event.
Read more: Karnataka’s contribution to intellectual, democratic heritage great: Prez President Kovind hails Tipu, calls him a hero President arrives for Vidhana Soudha event.
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