Karnataka Governor's Drastic Address Reduction Sparks Constitutional Confrontation
In a dramatic escalation of governor-government tensions across southern states, Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot on Thursday delivered a mere two-line address to the joint legislative session before walking out, triggering immediate protests and accusations of constitutional violation from the ruling Congress party.
Unprecedented Breach of Legislative Protocol
Governor Gehlot, speaking in Hindi, limited his address to just two sentences: "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 departed the House without reading the 43-page address prepared by the Congress government, leaving before the national anthem could be played.
This marked a stark departure from his previous conduct, as he had read the full text prepared by the same Siddaramaiah government in 2025. The abrupt exit prompted immediate noisy protests from Congress members, who raised 'shame shame' slogans on the legislative floor.
Constitutional Violation Allegations and Supreme Court Threat
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah immediately condemned the governor's actions as "unconstitutional" and accused Gehlot of acting as a "puppet" of the central government. The chief minister stated that the state government is considering approaching the Supreme Court over what he described as a clear violation of constitutional provisions.
Siddaramaiah specifically cited violations of Articles 176 and 163 of the Constitution, which mandate that the governor must deliver the address prepared by the state cabinet at the beginning of each legislative year. He accused the governor of failing to discharge his constitutional responsibilities by reading his own speech instead of the government-prepared text.
Contentious Government Draft and Center-State Tensions
The Congress government had prepared a comprehensive 122-paragraph speech that detailed what it described as injustice to Karnataka in tax devolution and criticized several central government schemes. The draft contained strong criticism of the central government's handling of MGNREGA, which it claimed had been "repealed."
This followed a clarification from the governor on Wednesday that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act had been "technically modified, not repealed." The governor had previously refused to deliver the customary address because it contained 11 paragraphs critical of the central government, and the state government had refused to amend the draft despite attempts at mediation.
Escalating Tensions and Security Incidents
As Governor Gehlot left the legislative chamber, the situation grew increasingly tense. Some Congress members, including MLC BK Hariprasad, attempted to heckle the governor and were subsequently removed by security personnel. Meanwhile, BJP members defended the governor's actions and raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' in counter-protest.
BJP state president B Y Vijayendra demanded action against Congress legislators for allegedly trying to attack the governor and defended the governor's decision. He stated that MGNREGA had been replaced by VB-G RAM G, linking it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, and accused the Siddaramaiah government of spreading "a false narrative."
Pattern of Southern State Confrontations
This incident represents the third governor-government confrontation in as many days across non-BJP-ruled southern states. On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi walked out of the assembly without delivering his customary address, citing "inaccuracies" in the prepared text. In Kerala, Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar allegedly omitted portions of his address, with Raj Bhavan claiming its suggestions had been excluded from the draft.
The Karnataka episode follows a prolonged tense standoff between Raj Bhavan and the Congress government, with a delegation led by Minister HK Patil having met Governor Gehlot in an unsuccessful attempt to break the impasse before the legislative session. BJP legislators have accused the Congress of misusing the legislative platform to foster resentment against the central government.
This growing pattern of confrontations highlights the deepening political divisions between state governments and governor's offices in southern India, raising significant questions about constitutional propriety and the balance of power in India's federal structure.
