K’taka Assembly Speaker says ‘will support outburst against Pakistan’

Bengaluru, Feb 28 (IANS) Karnataka Speaker U.T. Khader said in the Assembly on Wednesday that he will permit any kind of outburst and usage of words against Pakistan and its “sympathisers”. He made the statement when Congress MLAs objected to the alleged usage of “objectionable” words by BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal against “Pakistani sympathisers” while condemning the incident of raising of pro-Pakistan slogans while celebrating Syed Naseer Hussain’s Rajya Sabha election victory. Basavaraj Rayareddi, Special Economic Advisor to the CM, Congress MLAs Asif Sait and P.M. Narendra Swami stood up, and objected to the alleged expletives used by Yatnal. Speaker Khader intervened and said that “Yatnal has been addressing those who are with Pakistan and there is no need for them to get worked up”. “I allow any word and any outburst against Pakistan and sympathisers of Pakistan,” said Khader and asked Yatnal to continue his speech. Yatnal thanked him, saying his party’s legislators always appreciated him for his patriotic stands towards the country. “Few like you are patriotic,” he stated. Speaker Khader then said that “those elected to this house are all patriots”. Basavaraj Rayareddi stated that the Rule Book of the house does not permit use of certain objectionable words and if those words are permitted, “what is the rule book for”? To this, Khader said “the house cannot be run on the rule book”. “We will make you the Speaker… do try to run the house as per the rule book, and you will understand,” he stated. –IANSmka/pgh