BJP Protests in Karnataka Assembly Over Alleged Excise Scam

By GG News Bureau
Bengaluru | 27thJanuary:The Karnataka Assembly witnessed fresh disruptions on Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), staged protests accusing the ruling Congress government of involvement in an alleged ₹6,000-crore excise scam. The opposition also demanded action against Congress legislators for allegedly insulting Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot during last week’s heated face-off over his address to a joint session of the legislature.

Holding placards and raising slogans near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Assembly campus, BJP and JD(S) lawmakers accused the Siddaramaiah-led government of shielding those involved in the alleged scam. BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra told reporters that documentary evidence had emerged linking the Excise Minister R.B. Timmapur and his family members to the scam.

“The Chief Minister is deliberately avoiding discussion on this massive scam in the House. Only a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a sitting High Court judge can bring out the truth,” Vijayendra said, adding that the BJP would demand the resignation of the Excise Minister.

The protest was withdrawn later in the day after the Assembly Speaker assured the opposition that sufficient time would be allotted for a discussion on the issue in the House.

The latest confrontation comes amid an already volatile political atmosphere in Karnataka following a high-profile standoff between the Congress government and Governor Gehlot over the newly enacted G-RAM-G jobs guarantee scheme. The programme, which replaces the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was passed by Parliament during the winter session.

Tensions escalated last week when the Governor declined to read portions of a speech prepared by the state government for a special Assembly session, objecting to 11 paragraphs that were critical of the G-RAM-G scheme. After reading the opening lines, Gehlot made his own remarks and exited the House, prompting sharp criticism from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who accused him of violating constitutional norms and acting under pressure from the Centre.

The BJP, however, defended the Governor’s actions. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka alleged that the Congress was attempting to politicise the issue to project itself as fighting the Centre and to gain favour with party leader Rahul Gandhi.

At the national level, the controversy deepened after Rahul Gandhi said he was unfamiliar with the name “G-RAM-G” while speaking at an event focused on MGNREGA. The BJP criticised the remark, accusing him of being “anti-Hindu,” a charge that reignited debate over the renaming of welfare schemes and the symbolism attached to them.

With both the alleged excise scam and the G-RAM-G dispute unfolding simultaneously, Karnataka is emerging as a key political battleground ahead of the upcoming budget session of Parliament.