Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Karnataka State President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Monday, 9 November 2026, accused Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge of neglecting serious law-and-order issues in the state while travelling to Kerala to allegedly make political statements before a Muslim Youth League audience. Vijayendra also shared a video of Kharge's speech to back his charge.

Key Allegations Against the Home Minister

In a formal statement, Vijayendra questioned Kharge's priorities as Home Minister, pointing to a string of unaddressed security concerns in Karnataka. These included the delivery of knives to the official residence of Dalit Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, an alleged sting operation targeting a former Chief Minister, and what Vijayendra described as serious lapses in police accountability.

Vijayendra alleged that Kharge appeared 'more interested in playing judge, jury and executioner than discharging the responsibilities of his constitutional office' — a pointed jab at the Home Minister's conduct outside state borders.

Controversy Over Gauri Lankesh and Kalburgi Cases

The BJP's sharpest criticism centred on a promise Priyank Kharge reportedly made at a political rally in Kerala — that those accused in the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh and scholar M.M. Kalburgi would be imprisoned within six months. Lankesh was killed in 2017 and Kalburgi in 2015, both during periods of Congress rule in Karnataka.

Vijayendra argued that such a declaration at a campaign platform raised grave questions about the Home Minister's respect for judicial independence. 'Trials and decisions on the guilt of accused persons were the responsibility of courts and should not be influenced by political pronouncements,' he said, implying the remarks could amount to political interference in live court proceedings.

He further turned the accountability lens on the Congress, stating: 'The same Congress that failed to prevent these heinous murders now wants to lecture others on justice and accountability.'

BJP's Demand: Focus on Karnataka First

Vijayendra demanded that the Home Minister address Karnataka's own security failures before delivering what he called 'political sermons' in a neighbouring state. He maintained that Kharge's constitutional mandate was to manage law and order within the state, not to campaign at rallies outside it.

'Justice cannot be a political weapon, and the Home Minister's office is not a platform for settling political scores,' Vijayendra said, calling for an immediate shift of attention to Karnataka's pending security challenges.

Political Context

This comes amid a wider pattern of BJP-Congress friction in Karnataka over governance and law enforcement, with the opposition BJP consistently flagging what it describes as a deteriorating security environment under the Congress government. The targeting of Dalit leaders' residences and alleged police accountability gaps have been recurring flash points. Vijayendra's broadside against Kharge signals that the BJP intends to press these issues hard ahead of any upcoming electoral tests in the state.