Karnataka Assembly Sees Uproar Over Honey-Trap Row; 18 BJP MLAs Suspended

The Karnataka Assembly witnessed high drama on Friday as Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] members created a ruckus demanding a judicial probe by a sitting high court judge into the alleged “honey-trap” attempt involving a minister and other politicians. The uproar led to the suspension of 18 BJP legislators for six months on charges of “disrespecting” Speaker UT Khader.

The suspension resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil, was passed in the Assembly. Earlier, BJP and JD(S) members stormed into the well of the House, raising slogans and waving CDs, despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assuring them of a high-level probe into the allegations.

On Thursday, Congress leader and Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna informed the Assembly that attempts had been made to honey-trap him, adding that at least 48 individuals, including legislators, central leaders, and judges, had fallen victim to similar schemes.

“This chair cannot tolerate interrupting the proceedings of the House, ignoring the dignity of the chair and behaving in a way that damages the parliamentary traditions,” Speaker UT Khader stated while reading out the suspension order. The resolution bars the 18 MLAs from entering the Assembly and participating in standing committee meetings for six months.

The suspended MLAs include BJP chief whip Doddanna Gouda Patil, CN Ashwath Narayan, SR Vishwanath, BA Basavaraju, MR Patil, Channabasappa, B Suresh Gowda, Umanath Kotyan, Sharanu Salagar, Dr Shailendra Beldale, CK Ramamurthy, Yashpal Suvarna, BP Harish, Bharath Shetty, Dheeraj Muniraju, Chandru Lamani, Muniratna, and Basavaraj Mattimood.

The controversy erupted after BJP MLA Sunil Kumar raised the issue in the Assembly, demanding a response from Siddaramaiah before he addressed the debate on the 2025–26 state budget.

Responding to the demand, Siddaramaiah assured that no individual would be shielded, stating, “No one would be protected, regardless of their position,” and affirmed the government’s commitment to conducting a thorough investigation and taking necessary action.