New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, accusing the party’s high command of “humiliating” the Karnataka leadership and calling it an affront to the people of the state.
Taking to X, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya drew a parallel between past and present leadership styles within the Congress, recalling what he described as the public humiliation of former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerendra Patil during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“First, it was Rajiv Gandhi who publicly humiliated the towering Karnataka leader Shri Veerendra Patil. Now, decades later, the pattern repeats, with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal lecturing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on how to run the state,” Malviya said.
“It is astonishing that a Chief Minister elected by the people of Karnataka is being publicly admonished by a party functionary sitting in Delhi. If all decisions must be cleared by Rahul Gandhi’s coterie, why have a Cabinet chosen by the people of Karnataka at all? This high-command culture is not just an insult to Karnataka’s leadership; it is an insult to the people of Karnataka themselves,” he added.
The remarks came in response to Venugopal’s post on X detailing his conversation with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar regarding the demolition of unauthorised constructions.
Venugopal said he had spoken to the two leaders about the recent demolition drive in Kogilu village near Yelahanka in Bengaluru and urged them to act with compassion while keeping the human impact at the centre of the exercise.
The BJP’s attack also came against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, during which he spoke at length about the importance of preserving India’s linguistic and cultural heritage and praised efforts to promote the Kannada language.
During the programme, PM Modi said that the effort to remain rooted in culture is not confined to India alone, and that Indians living abroad are also playing an active role in preserving their heritage.
Citing the example of Kannada-speaking families living in Dubai, he said, “The families living there asked themselves an important question: Our children are moving ahead in the tech world, but aren’t they moving away from their language? This is where ‘Kannada Pathshale’ was born. An initiative where children are taught to read, write, learn, and speak Kannada. Today, more than a thousand children are associated with it. Truly, Kannada Nadu, Nudi Namma Hemme (roughly translated as — The land and language of Kannada are our pride).”
The political exchange has also unfolded amid the continuing tug-of-war between Kannada and Hindi in Karnataka. The Congress-led state government has been pushing for Kannada language to be prominently displayed on shop signboards, setting deadlines that have triggered controversy, negative publicity and tension.
In late 2025, the Chief Minister continued to criticise the Centre over what he termed Hindi imposition, portraying it as an injustice to Kannada. The Centre has repeatedly rejected the charge, maintaining that opting for Hindi in schools is a matter of choice.
(IANS)
