Karnataka Governor Skips Parts of Assembly Address Congress Govt Calls It a ‘Black Day for Democracy’
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accuses Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot of violating constitutional norms Congress government weighs Supreme Court move
Karnataka, Jan 22 : A fresh political crisis unfolded in Karnataka on Thursday after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot refused to read the state government’s address in full during the customary speech to the first joint session of the Legislature this year and subsequently walked out of the House.
Visuals from the Assembly showed several Congress leaders, including B K Hariprasad, attempting to prevent the Governor from leaving. The incident triggered sharp reactions from the ruling Congress, which accused the Governor of acting unconstitutionally and with political bias.
Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the government was examining the option of approaching the Supreme Court, alleging that the Governor failed to discharge his constitutional responsibilities.
“Under the Constitution, the Governor must read the address prepared by the Cabinet at the first session of the year. Instead, he chose to read a speech of his own making. This violates Articles 176 and 163 of the Constitution,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the government would protest what it termed an unprecedented act.
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. “He has insulted constitutional values. We will take an appropriate decision,” Patil said.
State Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Governor, questioning whether Raj Bhavan had turned into a political extension of the BJP. He maintained that the contents of the address were factual and accused the Governor of selectively objecting to criticism of the Centre.
“All that was stated in the speech were facts. There was nothing false. Has the Governor’s office become the BJP’s office?” Kharge said.
In a post on X, Kharge termed the Governor’s actions a “partisan intervention” that undermined the neutrality of a constitutional office. He pointed out that Article 176 mandates the Governor to deliver the elected government’s policy statement, not personal views, during the first Assembly session of the year.
Kharge added that the address highlighted issues such as the denial of Karnataka’s rightful funds and the erosion of cooperative federalism—matters already raised by the Chief Minister with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the state government had even offered to consider limited language changes but refused to remove entire sections in the interest of constitutional propriety and public interest.
Assembly Speaker U T Khadar sought to play down the confrontation, saying constitutional authorities should function in harmony. “The Governor’s office is a constitutional body. There is no conflict between the Governor and the government,” he said.
The controversy arose after the Governor reportedly expressed objections to 11 paragraphs in the address that criticised the Centre’s policies, including the proposed replacement of MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G Act.
