Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 22 : Karnataka BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka on Thursday alleged that the Governor was subjected to disruption during his address in the house.
"When the Governor speaks, there should be no disturbance. But Congress, especially the Law Minister, started raising slogans against the Governor. 4-5 MLAs attacked the Governor. The police protected the Governor. During this incident, CM Siddaramaiah was laughing", Ashoka said to reporters here.
He further alleged that four to five Congress MLAs attacked the Governor, following which the police stepped in to protect him. Ashoka also claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was laughing during the incident.
Earlier, on Thursday, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot walked out of the Karnataka Assembly without reading the complete address drafted by the State government.
The Governor reportedly read only the first and last lines of his customary address to the joint session of the Legislative Assembly and then left the Assembly.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that the State Government will protest the Governor's attitude and will consider whether to approach the Supreme Court regarding Gehlot's action.
Congress leader BK Hariprasad attempted to stop the Governor at the assembly gate and asked him to complete reading the speech, a demand Gehlot refused.
Following the incident, Congress MLAs and MLCs raised slogans against the Governor, condemning the act.
Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the rationale behind the Governor's move, asking whether "the Governor's office has become the BJP office."
"... Who is violating articles 176 and 163? All we have stated are facts in our governor's speech... There is not a single lie there, still the governor does not want to read it... Has the governor's office become the BJP office?...," Kharge stated.
He called the address, the constitutional duty of the Governor, stating that the speech comprised only matters of state interest, already presented before Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is his constitutional mandate to do so. I don't know why he is backing out of it...Even if one paragraph is a lie or fiction, don't read it. These 11 paragraphs are already being debated in public. The same paragraphs have been submitted to the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and RDPR Minister," he stated.
"What is wrong with it? It's already in the public domain. He is merely stating the public's concerns. If he is not bothered about the people of Karnataka, then he is free to go wherever he wants," Kharge said.
Meanwhile, the state Assembly Speaker UT Khadar dismissed the allegations of conflict between the Governor and the state government.
Addressing mediapersons, Khadar said, "... The constitutional bodies will support each other... The governor's office is a constitutional body... They will work together... There is no conflict (between the governor and the government)..."
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi walked out without delivering his address on the opening day of the first session of the Legislative Assembly.
Also, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan accused Governor Arlekar of making additions and deletions to the policy address approved by the Council of Ministers, and requested the Legislative Assembly to accept the Cabinet-approved version as the authentic policy document.
In its response, Lok Bhavan stated that the Governor had asked that "half-truths be removed from the draft of the policy address. In response, the government had stated that the Governor could prepare and read the policy address with such amendments as he deemed appropriate. It was also indicated that the speech would be resent, incorporating the changes suggested by Lok Bhavan.