The Karnataka government is set to move the Supreme Court after the Governor objected to parts of the prepared speech as “biased” and threatened to skip the Assembly Session. Siddaramaiah’s administration says his absence beyond 11:15 am would violate Article 176(1).
In a major constitutional impasse, the Karnataka government is preparing to take its case to the Supreme Court after a deadlock with the Governor concerning the upcoming Joint Assembly Session.
The Governor has raised objections to certain sections of the prepared speech, deeming them ‘biased’ and has threatened to boycott the session entirely.
Led by Siddaramaiah, the government has set a deadline of 11:15 am for the Governor to attend, asserting that his absence would violate Article 176(1), which states it would be ‘unconstitutional.’
The dispute primarily involves specific lines in the speech that mention ‘G. Ramji’ and accusations of ‘contractor-centric’ programs. Although a government delegation met with the Governor to negotiate alterations, the deadlock persists.
Consequently, the state government is ready to approach a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court to resolve the issue and ensure that legislative proceedings proceed as required by the Constitution.
The Governor has reportedly declined to address the joint gathering of the Karnataka Assembly scheduled for today, insisting on specific revisions to the speech prepared by the state government.
Sagar Raj points out that ‘at the last minute he has said that there should be changes which should be made in the speeches’ concerning the special session convened to discuss the B.V.G. Ramji bill and matters related to MGNREGA.
Currently, Parliamentary Affairs Minister H.K. Patil, Legal Advisor A.S. Ponnanna, and Speakers U.T. Khader and Basavaraj Horatti are at Raj Bhavan trying to persuade the Governor to go ahead with the address.
This situation reflects recent constitutional tensions observed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, indicating a potentially turbulent assembly session ahead in Karnataka.