A view of the Karnataka legislative assembly session, at Vidhana Soudha, in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The ruling Congress and the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued to trade accusations on Friday (January 23, 2026) over the ruckus that erupted in the State Legislature during Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s truncated address to the joint session.
The BJP demanded the suspension of members involved in what it described as “disrespect to the Governor” and sought a resolution condemning the incident. The Congress, on the other hand, demanded an apology from Mr. Gehlot to the citizens of the State and the Legislature for refusing to read the full text of the address prepared by the government and for “insulting” the national anthem by walking out immediately after the address.
‘Showing disrespect’
Raising the issue as soon as the House met on Friday (January 23, 2026), Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok accused the government of showing disrespect to the head of the State by shouting slogans and gheraoing the Governor as he was leaving the House after the ceremonial address. He demanded the suspension of members involved in the unruly scenes and a unanimous resolution condemning Thursday’s (January 22) incident.
“Tomorrow, members may even attack the Governor. What will the government do then?” Mr. Ashok asked, urging Speaker U.T. Khader to announce his ruling, suspending Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil and other Congress members. He alleged that the government had set a bad precedent by making “derogatory” remarks against the Governor.
BJP members C.N. Ashwathnarayana, V. Sunil Kumar, and Suresh Gowda said protocol was not followed during the Governor’s address and questioned why members who protested against the Governor had not been suspended.
Mr. Sunil Kumar accused the Congress of running a “goonda government” and creating chaos in the House, demanding immediate action against members who, he said, had insulted the Governor. BJP member C.C. Patil echoed the demand, stating, “Justice delayed is justice denied,” and called for swift punishment.
The Speaker, who had earlier acted swiftly to suspend BJP members for disrupting House proceedings, remained silent when ruling party members created chaos during the Governor’s address, the Opposition members alleged.
S. Suresh Kumar (BJP) said the Governor had discretionary powers to decide whether to read the address in full. He further questioned how the Governor, as a representative of the Centre, could speak against a law signed by the President, referring to the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.
‘Against Constitution’
Responding to the allegations, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil cited several court rulings and said that, as the custodian of the Constitution, the Governor could not evade his responsibilities. He said it was the duty of the State government to inform the Centre and the public about the injustice caused to Karnataka in the implementation of the new job scheme and the devolution of funds and grants.
Mr. Patil reiterated the Congress’ demand for an apology from the Governor to the citizens of the State and the House, alleging that the Governor had insulted the national anthem by not remaining in the House until its conclusion after the address.
The Speaker is expected to give his ruling on the matter next week.
Published – January 23, 2026 06:03 pm IST
