Issue over speech? Karnataka Governor refuses to address joint session; Siddaramaiah government reaches out | India News
NEW DELHI: Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has become the latest to decline the customary address to the legislature on Thursday, amid a series of recent controversies surrounding governors’ addresses to legislative assemblies.Following the development, the Karnataka government said a high-level delegation led by the law minister would meet the governor at Raj Bhavan at 5.45 pm on Wednesday. The reasons for Gehlot’s refusal are not yet clear. The joint session of the Karnataka legislature, scheduled from January 22 to 31, was to begin with the governor’s address. The session was expected to be tense, with sharp exchanges likely between the ruling Congress and the BJP–JD(S) opposition on several issues.One major point of confrontation is the centre’s decision to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or VB-G RAM G Act. From Tamil Nadu to KeralaThe situation in Karnataka follows a tense episode in the Kerala assembly a day earlier. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan objected to governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s address, saying parts of the cabinet-approved speech were skipped and certain additions were made.According to Vijayan, the omitted sections criticised the Union government’s fiscal policies and referred to bills passed by the Kerala assembly that are pending with the Lok Bhavan. The speaker ruled that only the cabinet-approved text would be treated as the official record.A similar confrontation was also seen in Tamil Nadu, where governor R N Ravi declined to read the state government’s address and walked out of the assembly, citing objections during the proceedings.Inside the House, the situation led to a sharp exchange, with assembly speaker M Appavu urging the governor to follow established rules and customs of the assembly.
