Karnataka hate speech bill | Legislation designed to 'silence' critics: BJP's Pralhad Joshi slams Congress govt

New Delhi: Criticising the Congress-ruled Karnataka government’s hate speech bill, Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Friday alleged that the legislation is designed to "silence critics" and "shield" itself from accountability.

The state government on Wednesday tabled in the Assembly the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crime (Prevention) Bill that proposed a jail term of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 1 lakh.

"Karnataka’s Congress regime is misusing legislation to control public opinion." Joshi posed on X.

"A 10-year jail term for 'hate speech'? Is this to curb hate speech or to curb freedom of speech itself? Is this for maintaining harmony, or for silencing every voice that questions their failures?" asked the BJP MP from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency.

Joshi alleged that the the Bill appears to have been "designed to silence critics, shield the government from accountability and tighten political control through fear".

Such "cruel measures" reflect the Congress’s insecurity, not its commitment to democracy, he charged.

The legislation, Joshi added, does not appear to have been prepared with the genuine intent of preserving harmony in society. Instead, it seems designed with the malicious objective of silencing those who question the government’s misrule and failures, he said.