Miffed over Karnataka government’s failure to provide answers to questions, Speaker abruptly adjourns Assembly

In a rare development in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Speaker U.T. Khader on Monday (March 16, 2026) abruptly adjourned the House, expressing disappointment with the government for failing to provide answers to questions raised by members despite repeated directions.

The Speaker’s action came after Ministers and departments failed to submit written replies to a number of unstarred questions submitted by members. Opposition members had been repeatedly complaining about this.

Only 84 replies

When the Speaker asked the government to table answers on March 16, Home Minister G. Parameshwara placed 84 replies against the 230 sought.

Expressing strong displeasure, Mr. Khader said he had issued clear directions from the Chair four times. “This session is not meant for ministers. It is meant for legislators who meet once in three months to raise issues concerning their constituencies. Only 15 starred questions are taken up during Question Hour. If a majority of unstarred questions go unanswered, why should members come to the House?” he asked.

Stating that there had been no improvement despite repeated warnings, Mr. Khader said, “Until the ministers and the concerned secretaries explain this lapse, I will not run this House.” He went on to adjourn the proceedings.

Repeated warnings

Before the adjournment, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka said it was the firth time the Speaker had warned the government over the issue.

Last week, Mr. Khader had cautioned ministers saying: “Just because I speak softly, do not mistake it for my weakness.” He had pointed out that only around 30% of unstarred questions had received replies.

On Friday (March 13, 2026), of the 133 unstarred questions, only 50 were answered, prompting sharp criticism from BJP members. Taking a swipe at the government, Mr. Ashoka sarcastically asked whether senior officials were “busy playing golf and spending time in clubs” instead of assisting ministers in preparing replies.

Senior BJP member S. Suresh Kumar suggested constituting a state cabinet sub-committee to examine the issue and submit a report. Another BJP member, S. Sunil Kumar, made a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that a committee headed by H. N. Nagamohan Das be formed to probe the reasons for the denial of answers.

Meeting with CM

After adjourning the House, the Speaker held a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and senior officials of various departments to resolve the issue.

Sources said the Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary to suspend officials who failed to provide answers to ‘unstarred’ questions during the session.

Following the meeting, the Speaker resumed the proceedings, stating that the government would explain the reasons for the delay in furnishing replies. The House was later adjourned for lunch.

BJP reacts strongly

Meanwhile, Mr. Ashok described the adjournment of the House as a “murder of democracy” in a post on X.

“What unfolded in the Karnataka Assembly today is an unprecedented disgrace — a direct assault on the institution of the Legislature,” he said.

“For the first time in the State’s history, the Speaker was forced to adjourn the House because ministers of the government failed to submit written replies to questions raised by MLAs,” he added.