Belagavi: The controversy over the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill 2021 gets an interesting twist in the Assembly on Thursday, the ruling BJP has cornered the Opposition Congress by stating that the bill was the brainchild of then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah headed Congress government.

Ruling BJP has made an all-out attack on Opposition Congress, released the note of then Siddaramaiah government, in which draft bill was scrutinized by the Law and Parliamentary Affairs ministry and placed the file for cabinet approval. 

Chaos prevailed for some time in the House when both opposition Congress and ruling BJP members were involved in the war of words, the Opposition Congress has taken back when the government has disclosed the file of Siddaramaiah government. 

When Assembly has taken up the bill for discussion, the Law and Parliamentary Minister J.C. Madhuswamy stated that the law commission has prepared a draft bill and the same was scrutinized by the Siddaramaiah government.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah took a strong objection to the statement of the Law Minister, he contended that the bill was never scrutinized by his government.

However, Mr. Madhuswamy stated that he has the record of the government has scrutinized the bill and then law minister T.B. Jayachandra has signed the note prepared by the law ministry. The opposition leader has challenged the government to show the notes prepared by the government. He further contended that the draft bill never came before him for approval and he has not signed the note.  

Mr. Madhuswamy has passed the note to the Speaker, the Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri has read out the note, in the mentioned that Siddaramaiah, who was then Chief Minister was signed the note prepared by the Law ministry.

Siddaramaiah responded that he might have forgotten the development, he could have explained the actual situation only after going through the file. But he defended that though the draft bill was prepared by the law commission, it never came before the cabinet, the cabinet has not passed the bill, he contended.

“I had discussed with then law minister Jayachandra, he stated that the bill was never initiated by the Congress government”, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

After Speaker read out the note, the ruling BJP tried to corner the Opposition leader. Minister K.S.Eshwarappa demanded the resignation of Siddaramaiah for misleading the House. Former Chief Minister B.S.Yediyurappa requested the opposition leader to cooperate with the government to pass the bill in the House since it was scrutinized by the Siddaramaiah government, he said.

Speaker has adjourned the house for a while to enable the opposition leader Siddramaiah to read the file initiated by his government in 2016.