Bengaluru: Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Saturday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of attempting to impose an “undeclared Emergency” in the state under the guise of governance and legislation.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office ‘Jagannath Bhavan’, Karandlaje said the Congress government expected unquestioning acceptance of all its actions and was intolerant of any opposition.
She alleged that instead of discussing pressing issues of North Karnataka during the Belagavi session, the government deliberately restricted the proceedings to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Prevention Bill.
Questioning the intent behind the Bill, Karandlaje asked why the Congress had brought it and who was influencing its drafting. She also launched a sharp attack on the state government’s newly constituted fact-check agency, alleging it was being misused to target political opponents.
The agency, she claimed, was conceptualised in 2023 under the leadership of Rajneesh Goyal and included private individuals and organisations sympathetic to the Congress.
The Union Minister alleged that the agency was functioning under the leadership of IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, with the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister also part of its structure. “Despite their presence, the responsibility has been handed to Priyank Kharge, which raises serious questions,” she said.
Karandlaje further alleged that the government was spending ₹3 to ₹4 crore annually on the fact-check agency, claiming its real purpose was to reward Congress supporters and monitor media coverage. “Its role is to file cases through the police against those critical of the government,” she alleged, adding that cases had already been registered against 35 BJP social media workers, as well as MLAs and MLCs.
Calling it a “systematic conspiracy to silence dissent,” Karandlaje claimed the Bill violated Article 19(1) of the Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech and expression. She accused the Congress of undermining the principles laid down by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, despite frequently displaying the Constitution publicly.
She alleged that the government was encroaching upon judicial functions, contrary to Supreme Court observations in the Kesavananda Bharati case, and warned that critics of the Congress were being targeted to push them out of public life.
Karandlaje said she had written to the Governor urging him not to give assent to the Bill and added that, if necessary, she would also approach the President to oppose its implementation.
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