Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, December 4, said the decision to remove the portrait of Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar from the Legislative Assembly would be taken by Speaker U.T. Khader.
He was responding to a question from mediapersons whether a decision has been made regarding the removal of the portrait from the legislative assembly hall at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. “The decision will be taken by the Speaker,” he said.
Incidentally, amidst criticism from the Congress, the BJP government led by Basavaraj Bommai had unveiled portraits of Swami Vivekananda, Subhas Chandra Bose, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Basaveshwara, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V.D. Savarkar on the first day of winter session in December 2022. The Congress not only boycotted the unveiling ceremony but had also staged a protest.
Earlier, responding to a question on Sunday, Speaker U.T. Khader had said the decision to unveil the portrait of first Prime Minister of India late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in the assembly hall would be taken after holding discussions.
