Hate Speech Bill brought to silence Oppn, says Karnataka BJP chief

Shivamogga: Alleging that the Congress-led government hurriedly passed the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, during the Belagavi Winter Session without allowing proper discussion, BJP state president and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said the Bill was brought with the sole intention of silencing the Opposition.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Vijayendra responded to a question on the Governor not giving assent to the Bill. He said the legislation is harmful to democracy. “As a result of this law, our Hindu activist Vikas Puttur in Tarikere had not even begun his speech when police officials served him a notice and threatened to arrest him if he spoke,” he alleged.

He further claimed that Bajrang Dal activist Sharan Pumpwell has been prevented from crossing district limits in Dakshina Kannada. In Bengaluru, Puneeth Kerehalli was arrested even though he had allegedly identified illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and did the work that the police should have done, Vijayendra said.

He alleged that earlier, those involved in illegal cattle transportation were booked under existing laws, vehicles were seized and offenders were jailed. “The Siddaramaiah government even attempted to bring a Bill to grant station bail to those arrested in such cases,” he charged.

Vijayendra said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier tried to divide society by raising the issue of a separate Veerashaiva-Lingayat identity. “Now, to cover up his failures, he is trying to pit the state against the Centre by claiming that the Union government has done injustice to Karnataka and to southern states. He is attempting to project himself as a leader of South India,” he criticised.

He said such a divisive mindset is not good for Siddaramaiah himself, for Karnataka, or for the development of the country.

Referring to the Congress-led government’s protest in Delhi under the slogan “Our tax, our right,” Vijayendra questioned the Karnataka government’s financial management.

He said Siddaramaiah, as Finance Minister, has failed to mobilise funds for the government’s guarantee schemes and has increased the excise department’s revenue target to Rs 40,000 crore, which would lead to a rise in the number of liquor consumers. “What will you do if tomorrow they lay siege to Vidhana Soudha saying ‘our tax, our right’?” he asked.

Vijayendra asserted that the Centre has not done any injustice to Karnataka. “If there were minor differences, the state government should have tried to convince the Centre instead of staging protests,” he said.

He pointed out that Bengaluru contributes the highest tax revenue in the state and questioned what would happen to districts such as Raichur, Koppal, Belagavi and Shivamogga if all the tax collected in Bengaluru were invested only in the city.

As Finance Minister, Siddaramaiah should be thinking about the overall development of the state, Vijayendra said.

He added that while Karnataka and Maharashtra contribute more taxes, it does not mean injustice is being done to Karnataka. “Karnataka has been given its due share,” he asserted.

He accused the government of failing to properly implement its guarantee schemes due to financial constraints and claimed that the government has boxed itself into the current situation because of a lack of funds.