Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on the first day of the Joint Assembly session, which commenced on January 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Pandemonium erupted inside the Karnataka Legislature on January 22 as Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot left after delivering a brief address of two lines on the first day of the Joint Assembly session, which commenced on January 22, 2026.
The Governor had expressed reservations over 11 paragraphs in the speech prepared by the Congress government in Karnataka, which included strong criticism of the Central government for introducing the VB-G RAM G Act.
Taking to the podium, Mr. Gehlot began his address with a customary greeting. He then proceeded to read the last line of his speech. “My government is committed to doubling the speed of economic and social progress in the State. Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka,” the Governor said, before concluding and leaving the House.
Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot leaves after delivering a brief address of two lines on the first day of the Joint Assembly session, on January 22, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Similar actions in TN, Kerala
This is the third face-off between a governor and a state government in the past two days.
On Tuesday (January 20, 2026), Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi walked out of the state Assembly without delivering his customary address to the House on the opening day of its inaugural session of the year, claiming “inaccuracies” in the text. Similarly, his Kerala counterpart Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar had allegedly “omitted” portions of his speech, with the Lok Bhavan claiming his suggestions had been excluded from the original draft.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – January 22, 2026 11:35 am IST
