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The issue of the portrait of Hindutva idealogue V.D. Savarkar in the Legislative Assembly at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here could come into focus during the Winter Session as preparation is under way to look into protocol and established conventions in putting up portraits in the House.
Sources said that a petition to Speaker U.T. Khader is likely to be presented when the session resumes next week.
On Thursday, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge said: “My personal opinion is that it is better to remove the portrait. If you allow me, I will remove it today. However, we will accept the decision of the Speaker.” He said that he will not accept an ideology that does not follow equality.
Earlier, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also said that the decision to have the portrait of Savarkar in the Legislative Assembly is left to the Speaker.
Meanwhile, when presspersons sought the reaction over the removal of the portrait, Mr. Khader said: “I am not aware of the issue. There is no proposal as of now. I will take up issues as per the Constitution. For me, both Ministers and the Opposition are the same.”
Amidst criticism from the Congress, which was then in the Opposition, the portrait of Savarkar had been unveiled in 2021 Winter Session along with those of B.R. Ambedkar, Basaveshwara, Subash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, during the BJP regime.
