Karnataka Governor refuses to deliver customary address in full; Congress govt calls it ‘black day’ for democracy

A fresh political crisis broke out in Karnataka on Thursday when Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot refused to read the government’s speech in full during his customary address to the year’s first joint session of the state Legislature. Gehlot also walked out of the House.

Visuals from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly showed Congress leader BK Hariprasad, among others, trying to stop the Governor from leaving the House.

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Speaking to the media outside the Assembly, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the Governor for his actions and said his government was examining whether it should move the Supreme Court over the Governor failing to discharge his constitutional duties.

“Every new year, the Governor has to address the joint session of the Assembly, read the speech prepared by the Cabinet. This is a constitutional requirement. Today, instead of reading the speech prepared by the Cabinet, the Governor read the one he himself prepared. This is in violation of the Constitution of India. It violates Articles 176 and 163 of the Indian Constitution. Therefore, we are going to protest against the attitude of the Governor. We are examining whether or not to approach the Supreme Court,” Siddaramaiah said.

State Law Minister HK Patil called it a black day in the history of democracy, stating the Governor, who is the guardian of the Constitution, has failed to do his duty.

“He has insulted the Constitution. We will take an appropriate decision,” Patil said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru | Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot walks out of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly; Congress leader BK Hariprasad seen trying to stop the Governor pic.twitter.com/QZjWSlZJgx

— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2026

‘Governor’s office or BJP’s office?’

State Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge criticised the Governor and said that everything mentioned in the address were facts. He further asked if the Governor’s office had become BJP’s office?

“Who is violating Article 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 said in comments to the media.

Writing on X separately, he regretted the “partisan intervention” which he said undermines the constitutional duty of the Governor’s office.

Kharge pointed out that the Governor was constitutionally obligated to read the government’s policy statement “as advised” during the first Assembly session of the year.

“It is deeply regrettable that the Governor of Karnataka is choosing not to read the Government’s speech in full. The Constitution is unambiguous on this. Under Article 176, the Governor is required to address the Legislature at the first session of the year, and that address is the policy statement of the elected government, not his personal views. It is prepared by the Cabinet, and he is constitutionally expected to deliver it as advised,” Kharge wrote in the post.

Kharge, addressing the speech’s content, wrote that the same included the denial of Karnataka’s rightful funds and the breakdown of cooperative federalism, among other “facts”. He further pointed out that these issues had already been raised with Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Kharge further said the state government had expressed its willingness to consider limited language changes but refused to drop entire portions, citing constitutional propriety and the interests of the people.

He alleged that the Governor was biased and politically motivated. “This is nothing but a partisan intervention that undermines the constitutional role and neutrality of the Governor’s office, and it raises serious questions about who is really calling the shots,” he said in his X post.

Karnataka Assembly Speaker UT Khadar also addressed the matter of the Governor not reading his address in full and walking out of the Legislature’s special session on MGNREGA and 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).”

It may be noted that the Governor had expressed his reservations about 11 paragraphs in the speech given to him, wherein the Central government’s policies and move to replace MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G Act were criticised.