Karnataka: Minister Priyank Kharge flays Guv over refusal to read govt’s full address

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday slammed Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, accusing him of "violating constitutional provisions" by refusing to read the government’s address in its entirety during the legislature’s first session of the year.

In a post on 'X', the minister said it is deeply regrettable that the Governor is choosing not to read the government’s speech in full, though the Constitution is unambiguous on this.

"Under Article 176, the Governor is required to address the Legislature at the first session of the year and that address is the policy statement of the elected government, not his personal views. It is prepared by the Cabinet and he is constitutionally expected to deliver it as advised," the Minister, who is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, said.

Refusing to read the full speech violates Article 176 and also goes against Article 163, which requires the Governor to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, Kharge, who holds Information Technology and Biotechnology portfolio, said.

According to him, the speech in question is backed by complete facts and reflects the official position of the government of Karnataka.

Denial of Karnataka’s rightful funds and the breakdown of cooperative federalism have been repeatedly raised by the Chief Minister with the Prime Minister, he noted.

"Despite this, keeping with constitutional propriety and the sanctity of the office, the Government conveyed that if there were genuine concerns, limited language changes could be considered. But insisting that entire portions be dropped is not acceptable and goes against the interests of the people of Karnataka," Kharge pointed out.

He alleged that Gehlot’s action is nothing but a partisan intervention that undermines the constitutional role and neutrality of the Governor’s office, and "it raises serious questions about who is really calling the shots".

The government sources said the Governor was unhappy with the negative remarks on Viksit Bharat- Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajivika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), which was launched by the Centre, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of the UPA era.

Gehlot wanted the two paragraphs on it to be removed, while the government is firm to retain them, sources told PTI.

They said the state government agreed to drop the two sentences, including the one, which stated that VB-G RAM G will lead to corruption, but it is still not clear whether the Governor has accepted it.