Demand for shifting K'taka Assembly winter session to Bengaluru grows

Bengaluru, Dec 2 In the wake of growing threat from the new Covid variant Omicron, demand for conducting the winter session of Assembly from December 13 in Bengaluru is growing.

Politic and secretariat employees have urged the government to reconsider the plan of holding the session in north Karnataka's Belagavi. The session is scheduled to be held between December 13 and 24.

P. Guruswamy, president of Secretariat Employees Association and former minister and senior Congress leader R.V. Deshapande and others have demanded the shifting of venue to Bengaluru.

Speakers of Legislative Assembly and Council Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri and Basavaraj Horatti are expected to conduct an inspection and make another announcement on preparations.

In a letter to Speaker Kageri, Guruswamy has written that thousands of employees, politic and public will gather if the session is held in Belagavi. This will endanger safety in the backdrop of arrival of new variants, he said.

Senior Congress leader R.V. Deshapande stated that as many as 300 plus cases have been detected in nearby town Dharwad recently. There are cases reported in Belagavi as well. The government should reconsider its decision.

However, Minister for Revenue R. Ashok reiterated that the winter session would be held in Belagavi. The people will get the wrong message and further they will be more scared about the situation, if the session is not held in Belagavi for the third consecutive year, he said.