Bengaluru: Karnataka Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader on Monday said discussions are underway on the possibility of holding the monsoon session of the Legislature in Belagavi instead of the traditional winter session.

Addressing a press conference, the Speaker said Belagavi often faces accommodation constraints during the winter session due to prior bookings of lodges and hotels for weddings and other programmes. Legislators also face similar difficulties. In this context, the idea of conducting the session during the monsoon is being discussed.

He clarified that the proposal was not intended to curb protests, stating that protests are part of democratic practice.

23 Bills passed during the session

Khader said a total of 23 Bills were examined and passed during the session. During discussions on issues related to North Karnataka, 39 members spoke for a combined duration of 17 hours and 2 minutes.

The House admitted 22 petitions. Of the 1,974 written questions listed, answers were provided to 1,750. Out of 135 starred questions, replies were given to 134. Of the 368 call attention notices, 228 were answered. Seven resolutions were also adopted, he said.

Over 30,000 visitors watched proceedings

According to the Speaker, the proceedings were watched by 30,010 people this time. Among them were 14,462 school students, for whom special arrangements were made. He also noted that the world’s second-largest flag was unveiled during the session.

On Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar’s reply

Responding to a question on whether the House was misled due to an incorrect reply by Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Khader said the Minister had apologised and expressed regret in the House the following day after the error was pointed out.

No haste in passing hate speech Bill: Speaker

The Speaker also rejected allegations that there was undue haste in passing the hate speech Bill. He said the discussion was neither curtailed nor rushed.

Khader stated that opposition parties were given the opportunity for a detailed discussion as per their request. However, he said some BJP legislators entered the well of the House and staged a protest while opposition leaders were speaking, citing a statement made by a Minister.

“If there was an intention to debate the Bill, they should have allowed their leaders to speak. Protests, if any, should have been carried out in an organised manner after consulting senior leaders,” he said.

He maintained that he acted strictly in accordance with the rules and did not hurry the proceedings.