The opposition BJP, which suffered an embarrassment in the Assembly last week due to lack of floor co-ordination among its members on whether to boycott or stage a dharna, has now taken precautionary measures.
The party has introduced a system of holding a meeting of its senior and prominent members on a daily basis before commencement of the session to decide its legislature floor plan. About 15 senior members of the party, including former ministers S. Suresh Kumar and State president B. Y. Vijayendra, participated in the co-ordination meeting convened by Leader of Opposition R. Ashok on December 11.
Sources close to Mr. Ashok said such meetings would be held as and when required.
In fact, the co-ordination among the BJP members appeared to have improved after the party held such a meeting of its senior leaders. It is learnt that the BJP central leadership too had intervened to make some of the disgruntled MLAs fall in line when it comes to floor co-ordination.
It may be noted that the lack of floor co-ordination among BJP members had come out in the open on December 7 when some of its members walked out with Leader of Opposition R. Ashok while others wanted to stage a dharna in the well of the House.
The episode had unfolded after a heated exchange of words between the BJP and the ruling Congress over the alleged attack on its worker by Congress MLC Channaraj Hattiholi and his associates and detention of a corporator of the Belagavi City Corporation by the police.
In fact, the incident had resulted in some members making certain uncharitable remarks against the leadership.
A party senior leader blamed such a lack of co-ordination on the delay in appointment of party whip and deputy leader of opposition, besides disgruntlement among some legislators. Though the BJP is set to hold its legislature party meeting in Belagavi on December 12, there is no clarity on whether the appointment of whip and deputy leader of the opposition would be finalised at the meeting. “In the absence of whip and deputy leader of the opposition, we have decided to hold informal meetings of senior leaders to prepare the floor plan for the day,” he said.
