Bengaluru: In the third governor-govt confrontation in as many days across non-BJP-ruled southern states — after similar episodes in Kerala and Tamil Nadu — Karnataka governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot on Thursday reduced the 43-page address to the joint session of the state legislature to just two lines and walked out before the national anthem, triggering noisy protests by governing Congress members.Speaking in Hindi, Gehlot limited his address to two lines: “I’m happy to address one more joint session of Karnataka legislature. My govt is fully committed to double the speed of economic, social and physical development of the state. Jai Hind. Jai Karnataka.”He then left the House without reading the address prepared by Congress govt. Incidentally, he had read the full text in 2025 prepared by the same Siddaramaiah govt. “This is unconstitutional,” CM Siddaramaiah said, accusing Gehlot of acting as a “puppet” of the central govt. He added that the state was considering approaching the Supreme Court over the issue.Siddaramaiah accused the governor of failing to discharge constitutional responsibilities. He alleged that Gehlot read his own speech instead of the one prepared by the state govt, violating Articles 176 and 163 of the Constitution, which mandate that the governor deliver the address prepared by the state cabinet at the beginning of the legislative year.This year, the Congress govt had drafted a 122-paragraph speech, detailing with what it described as injustice to the state in tax devolution and several central schemes. The draft had strongly criticised central govt for “repealing” MGNREGA.On Wednesday, the governor had clarified that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had been “technically modified, not repealed”.As Gehlot left without reading the prepared speech, Congress members raised ‘shame shame’ slogans on the floor of the House. Some Congress members, including MLC BK Hariprasad, attempted to heckle the governor. They were removed by security personnel. BJP members defended the governor and raised slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.The episode follows a tense standoff between Raj Bhavan and the Congress govt, and comes amid similar confrontations in other non-BJP ruled states. On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi walked out of the assembly without delivering his customary address on the opening day of the year’s inaugural session, citing “inaccuracies” in the text. In Kerala, governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar allegedly omitted portions of his address, with Raj Bhavan claiming its suggestions were excluded from the draft.Gehlot on Wednesday refused to deliver the customary address, with 11 paragraphs critical of the Centre. The govt refused to amend the draft. A delegation led by minister HK Patil met Gehlot in an attempt to break the impasse.BJP legislators accused the Congress of misusing the House to foster resentment against the Centre and defended the governor’s action. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra demanded action against Congress MLAs and MLCs for allegedly trying to attack the governor.Vijayendra said MGNREGA had been replaced by VB-G RAM G and linked it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. “Poor people all across the country are welcoming this move. Unfortunately, the Siddaramaiah govt is spreading a false narrative,” he added.
