Bengaluru

High drama unfolded in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday when Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot exited the House without delivering the full address prepared by the state government, triggering sharp reactions from the ruling Congress and reigniting a debate over constitutional propriety.

According to officials, the Governor addressed the joint sitting of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council by reading only the opening and concluding lines of the customary address before leaving the Assembly hall. His decision drew immediate objections from the treasury benches and led to heated exchanges within the House.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the state government would formally protest what it termed the Governor’s conduct and is examining the option of approaching the Supreme Court. He alleged that the Governor departed from constitutional norms by not reading the address approved by the Cabinet, as mandated under Articles 176 and 163 of the Constitution.

Congress leader and MLC B K Hariprasad reportedly attempted to stop the Governor near the Assembly gate, urging him to complete the address. However, Gehlot declined the request and proceeded to leave. Following this, Congress MLAs and MLCs raised slogans inside the Assembly, condemning the Governor’s action.

Reacting strongly, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the intent behind the Governor’s move, asking whether the Raj Bhavan was functioning under political influence. He asserted that the address contained only factual matters related to state governance and public welfare, many of which had already been shared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers.

Kharge stressed that delivering the address was a constitutional obligation of the Governor and argued that if any portion of the speech was objectionable, only those parts could have been omitted. He further said the speech reflected public concerns already in the public domain and questioned why the Governor chose not to present them before the House.

State Law Minister H K Patil described the episode as “a black day for democracy,” accusing the Governor of failing in his role as the guardian of the Constitution. He said the government would take an appropriate decision after deliberations.

Later, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated that the Governor had read an address not vetted by the Cabinet, calling it a serious constitutional violation. “The Governor has not discharged his duties in accordance with the Constitution,” he said, adding that legal options were being carefully evaluated.

In contrast, Assembly Speaker U T Khadar sought to downplay the controversy, stating that constitutional institutions were expected to function in harmony. He dismissed suggestions of an institutional clash, saying there was no conflict between the Governor and the elected government.

The incident comes amid similar developments in other states. A day earlier, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi walked out without delivering his address to the state Assembly. In Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently accused Governor Rajendra Arlekar of altering the Cabinet-approved policy address, an allegation that Raj Bhavan contested by stating that objections were raised over what it termed “half-truths” in the draft.

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These back-to-back confrontations between Governors and elected state governments have intensified discussions on the limits of gubernatorial discretion and the need for clearer conventions governing the relationship between Raj Bhavans and state Cabinets, particularly during Assembly sessions.