Hubballi-Dharwad Mayor Iresh Anchatageri’s decision not to wear the ceremonial Mayor’s gown during visits of dignitaries holding Constitutional positions led to a heated debate, commotion and finally, resulting in the monthly council meeting of the municipal corporation being adjourned sine die.
After getting elected to the Mayor’s post and donning the Mayor’s gown for some time, the Mayor decided to stop wearing it. And, he did so during the recent visit of and civic honour given to President Droupadi Murmu also.
However. while the BJP members have remained silent on the issue, the Congress and AIMIM members in the council raised it during the council meeting on Thursday forcing three adjournments in all.
The first adjournment of the council meeting came after it was found that the meeting did not have quorum. As the meeting began with a 30-minute delay, Leader of Opposition in the municipal council Doreraj Manikuntla and other Congress councillors raised the issue and urged the Mayor to wear the ceremonial gown.
However, the Mayor did not heed to their request and said that he was not showing any disrespect to anyone through his decision not to wear the gown.
But the Congress members said that the Mayor’s decision was a disrespect to the council and also the citizens of the twin cities.
The discussion led to a debate, commotion and protest by Congress members with AIMIM members joining them, which resulted in the Mayor adjourning the meeting for half an hour.
While the Mayor and BJP councillors left the Council hall, the Congress and AIMIM councillors continued their protest and staged a sit-in. A Congress councillor Suvarna Kallakuntla said that the Mayor had not taken into consideration the suggestion by his own partymen and neither did he seek the opinion of the council before deciding to stop wearing the gown.
Another Congress councillor Imam Hussein Eliagar pointed out that the civic honour for the President was violation of all laid down principles as the proposal for it was not tabled before the general body. He accused the Mayor of being autocratic.
Yet another councillor Shankrappa Harijan and AIMIM councillor Nazeer Ahmed Honyal pointed out that the Mayor wore the gown while assuming office but now, he is disrespecting the council and the chair.
Although the meeting resumed again, the protest did not end and the Opposition councillors were bent on making the Mayor wear the gown and sought to know under what law he discontinued the practice.
At one point of time, a few councillors even tried to snatch away the bell on the Mayor’s chair, which is rung before issuing any ruling. Although the Mayor warned that he will suspend some councillors for their unruly behaviour, the protest continued forcing the Mayor to finally adjourn the meeting sine die.
Speaking to presspersons later, Mr. Anchatageri defended his decision to discontinue wearing gown terming it as a symbol of British rule. He said that he discontinued wearing his gown as per a suggestion of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and also, he sent a request to the government seeking permission to discontinue wearing the gown.
“The government is expected to issue an order within a week,” he said and added that the gown should not be an issue at all as the Shivamogga Mayor stopped wearing it more than a year ago.
