Bengaluru: A fresh political crisis erupted in Karnataka on Thursday after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot refused to deliver the state government’s address in full during his customary speech to the first joint session of the Legislature for the year and walked out of the House midway.
The move triggered sharp reactions from the ruling Congress government, which accused the Governor of violating constitutional norms. Visuals from the Assembly showed senior Congress leaders, including B.K. Hariprasad, attempting to stop the Governor as he exited the chamber.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly criticized the Governor’s conduct and said the government was examining the option of approaching the Supreme Court.
“Under the Constitution, the Governor is required to read the speech prepared by the Cabinet at the first joint session of the Assembly every year. Today, instead of reading the Cabinet-approved speech, he read one of his own. This violates Articles 176 and 163 of the Constitution,” Siddaramaiah told reporters. “We are protesting this attitude and considering legal options.”
State Law Minister H.K. Patil described the episode as a “black day in the history of democracy,” stating that the Governor, as the custodian of the Constitution, had failed in his duty. “This is an insult to the Constitution. We will take an appropriate decision,” he said.
‘Governor’s Office or BJP’s Office?’
Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge launched a direct political attack, questioning the neutrality of the Raj Bhavan. “Everything mentioned in the address was factual. There is not a single lie. Still, the Governor refused to read it. Has the Governor’s office become the BJP’s office?” Kharge asked.
In a separate post on X (formerly Twitter), Kharge called the Governor’s actions a “partisan intervention” that undermines the constitutional role of the office. He emphasized that under Article 176, the Governor’s address represents the policy statement of the elected government and must be delivered “as advised” by the Cabinet.
Kharge noted that the speech included references to issues such as the alleged denial of Karnataka’s rightful funds by the Centre and the weakening of cooperative federalism—concerns that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has already raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added that while the state government was open to limited language changes, it refused to drop entire sections of the speech on grounds of constitutional propriety and public interest.
Governor’s Reservations
According to government sources, Governor Gehlot had expressed reservations about 11 paragraphs in the draft speech, particularly those critical of the Union government’s policies and its proposed move to replace the MGNREGA scheme with the VB-G RAM G Act.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Assembly Speaker U.T. Khadar sought to play down the confrontation, saying there was no constitutional conflict. “The Governor’s office is a constitutional body, and so is the Legislature. Constitutional institutions will support each other. There is no conflict between the Governor and the government,” he said.
Despite these assurances, the incident has intensified the ongoing debate over the role of Governors in opposition-ruled states, with the Congress alleging increasing political interference and the misuse of constitutional offices.