BJP delegation attacks bill against hate speech

A delegation of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday again urged state governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to withhold assent to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, describing the proposed law as draconian and a direct attack on free speech.

The delegation was led by R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly, and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, Leader of Opposition in the legislative council.

Along with opposing the hate speech legislation, the leaders submitted memoranda seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into clashes in Ballari and questioning the state government’s actions following the demolition of allegedly illegal houses in Kogilu, in northern Bengaluru.

A separate petition accused the government of misusing the police machinery and alleged erosion of law and order. The BJP leaders highlighted the Hubballi incident, where police personnel are accused of disrobing a woman BJP worker.

“We met the Governor and informed him that the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated and it has become a goonda state,” Ashoka told reporters after the meeting. “Without anyone to question, Karnataka has become a jungle raj. As the first citizen of the state, and since all government orders are issued under his name, we have requested the Governor to save Karnataka from becoming a goonda state.”

Ashoka said the BJP had formally requested the Governor not to give assent to the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, which was passed during the recent session of the State Legislature. He alleged that chief minister Siddaramaiah and assembly speaker UT Khader ensured the bill’s passage without any discussion in the Assembly.

“We have told the Governor that if assent is given to the bill, it will take away the rights of the media and opposition parties to oppose and criticise the government, as the state will turn into a police state,” he said. “Democracy cannot survive with such things. So, we have asked the Governor not to give assent to the bill as it is detrimental for the state and will take away free speech.”

The Raj Bhavan said on Friday that the hate speech bill, passed during the recent legislative session, was “under consideration.” The proposed law provides for a jail term of one year for hate crimes, extendable up to seven years, along with a fine of ₹50,000. Repeat offences could attract a maximum sentence of seven years and a fine of ₹1 lakh.

The BJP delegation also pressed for a CBI probe into the violence in Ballari earlier this month. Ashoka accused the police of acting under political pressure and said the investigation was losing direction. “It was an attack with bullets targeted at BJP MLA G. Janardhan Reddy, during which a Congress worker was murdered by his own party people,” he said. “The investigation into the incident is losing its track. Those behind the incident have not been arrested yet, and attempts are on to close the case.”

Tension prevailed in parts of Ballari on the night of January 1 after supporters of Ballari City Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and Gangavati BJP MLA G. Janardhan Reddy allegedly clashed over a banner installation. The situation escalated into alleged stone-pelting and firing, leaving one Congress worker dead. The incident reportedly began after a poster related to the unveiling of a Valmiki statue was placed in front of Janardhan Reddy’s residence.

The delegation also objected to the government’s response following the demolition of allegedly illegal houses in Kogilu. Ashoka questioned the speed with which authorities moved to rehabilitate those affected under the government’s housing programme, while noting that 3.6 million people who had already paid under various housing schemes were still waiting for allotment.

“Leaving these 36 lakh people aside, houses are being allotted to migrants whose illegally constructed houses at Kogilu were demolished,” he said. “This is being done under pressure from Kerala Congress leaders for the sake of minority appeasement.”

The demolitions at Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony on December 20 were carried out by the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to clear encroachments for a proposed solid waste processing unit.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Sunday that the Governor had neither approved nor returned the hate speech bill, leaving it pending weeks after its passage. “The bill was passed unanimously. It is not rejected, sent back, or accepted yet,” he told reporters in Mangaluru, adding that the government would provide clarifications if sought.

Home minister G. Parameshwara has rejected the Opposition’s demand for a CBI probe into the Ballari violence, saying the state police were capable of investigating the case and that there was no need to hand it over to a central agency.