Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 21: After Kerala and Tamil Nadu, one more BJP government-appointed governor has refused to read out the governor’s address prepared by the non-BJP government in the state as is the customary to inaugurate the budget session of the concerned state legislature.
The Karnataka governor Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has decided not to address the joint sitting of the state legislature scheduled for Thursday. The state government has said it would engage with the Governor following his refusal. The exact reasons behind the Governor’s decision have not been officially disclosed.
Sources suggest that possible references to the Centre in the planned address may have prompted the decision. In response, a high-level delegation led by Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil is scheduled to meet the Governor at Lok Bhavan to discuss the matter. “In the wake of the Governor’s refusal to address the joint session tomorrow, a high-level delegation led by the Law Minister will leave for Raj Bhavan,” Patil said in a statement.
This development comes amid similar controversies in neighbouring states. Governors in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, both governed by non-BJP parties, recently faced criticism over their addresses to state assemblies. While in Kerala, the governor on Tuesday read out the addresses incorporating his own views and omitting the references to the infirmities of the Central government, the Tamil Nadu governor for the fourth consecutive year walked out of the Assembly without delivering the customary address.
The upcoming joint session of the Karnataka legislature, scheduled from January 22 to 31, is expected to be marked by heated exchanges between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP-JD(S) alliance.
Tensions are likely as the Congress plans to introduce a resolution opposing the Centre’s recent decision to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The resolution will demand the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the newly enacted Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act.
The state government’s move aligns with the Congress’ nationwide “Save MGNREGA” campaign. The Karnataka cabinet has also resolved not to accept the VB-G RAM G Act and intends to challenge it through legal channels.