Speaker of Legislative Assembly, U T Khader
| Photo Credit:
H S MANJUNATH
Proceedings in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly were disrupted on Monday after Speaker U T Khader adjourned the House and briefly walked out amid the absence of several ministers and complaints over unanswered questions during Question Hour.
The incident occurred during the ongoing Assembly session in Bengaluru when opposition members raised concerns that ministers were not present in the House and that several questions submitted in advance had not received responses.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, said less than 30 per cent of the 230 questions listed for the session were answered by the Congress government.
Opposition leaders said the development reflected poor accountability and lack of preparedness by the government during legislative sessions.
Member of the Legislative Council and Deputy Leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) in the Council, T A Sharavana, said legislators attend sessions prepared to debate issues affecting people but often do not receive responses from the government.
Sharavana told businessline that questions submitted in advance remain unanswered. “In my House today, out of 140 questions, only 40 were answered. Ministers are not present in their seats, and even when they are there, answers are not forthcoming,” he said.
“They spend crores of rupees to conduct a session. If legislators do not get answers, we will not be in a position to answer the people who elected us,” he added.
M G Mahesh, spokesperson of the BJP, said the government has the responsibility to ensure the House functions properly.
session adjourned
“The Speaker adjourned the session and left. It is the responsibility of the government and treasury benches to run the House,” Mahesh said. “The government is avoiding answering several questions raised by members. When questions are asked about the state, the government is avoiding responding,” he shared.
The disruption comes amid continuing debates over the functioning and productivity of legislative sessions in the state, with opposition parties urging the government to ensure ministers are present and prepared to answer questions in the House.
Responding to the incident, senior INC leader and former MP V S Ugrappa said legislators have responsibilities such as lawmaking, repealing outdated laws, allocating resources and ensuring funds are used properly for development.
“Until the concerned ministers and secretaries come and explain what the problem is, I will not conduct the House. I will adjourn,” the Speaker said before walking out.
(Writer is an intern with businessline)
Published on March 16, 2026