After a reprimand from Chairman of the Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti on the appointment of BJP member Hanumanth Nirani to the board of the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, the State government finally relented and notified the appointment on Thursday.
Summons issued
On Wednesday, Mr. Horatti issued a summons to the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar of the university, and the Horticulture Department Secretary to appear before him in his chamber on Thursday morning to explain the delay in notifying the appointment of Mr. Nirani. The matter came up for discussion in the House on Wednesday and Congress members said the honour of the House had not been respected since the appointment of Mr. Nirani by the Chairman had been pending for eight months. They had sought moving of a privilege motion over the delay.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil also joined the meeting on Thursday morning, following which the issue was resolved, and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot issued the notification by afternoon. “There was an unnecessary delay in the notification citing that the file was pending with the Chief Minister’s Office despite my follow-up with the Horticulture Minister (S.S. Mallikarjun). Finally, the notification was done,” Mr. Nirani told The Hindu.
Notification in one case
Sources said that while the government immediately notified the appointment of Badami legislator B.B. Chimmankatti, appointed by Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader, the notification on the appointment of Mr. Nirani from the Legislative Council Chairman had been held up. “This is politics since the Congress government did not want to notify the appointment of a BJP legislator,” he claimed.
Earlier, Mr. Horatti had taken objection to the delay in notifying his appointment despite two reminder letters sent to the department, and had threatened to move a privilege motion against the Minister.
Published – March 20, 2025 09:06 pm IST