Karnataka housing minister M.H. Ambareesh kicked up a storm in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday by almost admitting to partiality in allotment of houses under the Basava Housing scheme, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House twice to restore order.
Raising the issue in zero hour, Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar charged that while the minister had allotted over 43,000 houses to constituencies represented by Congress members, the constituencies of BJP and JD(S) members had not been allotted even one house.
While Mr Ambareesh first tried to defend himself saying he had allotted houses on first-come-first-serve basis, he later admitted almost casually, “We (Congress members) were in vanvas for seven years. And during that time you did not allot houses to people in our constituencies. Now, we have been voted to power and I have allotted more to our people.”
Angered by the admission, BJP members stormed into the well of the House and raising slogans against the government, demanded that the anomalies in the scheme be rectified immediately.
Having fuelled tempers, Mr Ambareesh then tried to pacify the agitating members, promising to allot houses to all constituencies. But the BJP men refused to give in, forcing Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa to adjourn the House.
When it reassembled, Mr Ambarish told the still agitating BJP members that 20 houses had been allotted to each panchayat under the scheme. “However, none of the opposition members have submitted a list of beneficiaries. The government is planning to build 15 lakh houses in the next four years. They cannot be allotted to only Congress members. I promise to allot houses to any constituency once the legislator gives me an application.’’
But when BJP members insisted on a more specific assurance and the minister refused to give it, the Speaker adjourned the House for lunch.