BJP writes to President, governor opposing Congress’ hate speech bill

Bengaluru: The state BJP has decided to approach the President of India and has written to the governor against the hate speech prevention bill brought in by the Congress government.

Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje told a news conference on Saturday that in order to silence those who speak against Congress, the government had brought in the bill. “I have written a letter to the governor, requesting not to approve the bill as it suppresses freedom of expression,” she said.

The minister said, “The Congress government is imposing an undeclared emergency. The mentality of Congress is that whatever it does must be accepted without questioning. The bill was passed in the Assembly, without allowing discussion.”  

“This bill not only violates the boundary between the executive and the judiciary, but also goes against the spirit of the Constitution.  If necessary, I will also meet the President,” she added.   

The minister said, “A fact check agency has been started, giving the responsibility to Congress workers. It is headed by Minister Priyank Kharge”.

Shobha alleged that the agency’s meeting was held in 2023 under the leadership of Rajneesh Goel.

“There are private people in it. There are some private agencies and institutions that help Congress. For this, Rs 3 to Rs 4 crore is being spent annually,” she said.  

“Cases have been filed against 35 BJP social media workers, besides MLAs and MLCs, Shobha said.