Is the Congress Government in Karnataka Engaging in an 'Emergency-Like' Crackdown on Opposition and Media?

Bengaluru, May 26 (NationPress) The BJP in Karnataka has condemned the Congress-led state administration for its move to initiate a defamation lawsuit concerning a newspaper advertisement that exposed the government’s shortcomings.

The advertisement, framed as a 'charge sheet', was unveiled to mark the completion of two years of the Congress government.

BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra stated on Monday, “A new phase of ‘emergency’ has commenced in Karnataka. However, the power to change this trajectory lies within democracy, the citizens of Karnataka, the opposition parties, and the media. The Congress-led government in Karnataka will soon come to understand this reality.”

“There is no possibility that the BJP in Karnataka will be cowed down by any intimidation from the Congress government. If you think you can suppress the voice of the opposition by invoking the police and legal systems, that is merely the peak of your naivety,” he asserted.

It is now evident that Congress’s decision to file a defamation case -- influenced by sycophants and irrational thinkers -- against the Bharatiya Janata Party is not only an act of political revenge but also a vindictive strategy against the media, he emphasized.

The shameful chapter of imposing an Emergency in India, intended to suffocate the democratic framework, is a legacy of the Congress party. It is the Congress that gained notoriety for imprisoning opposition leaders and significant figures in a bid to stifle dissent -- a fundamental aspect of democracy. It was during the Emergency that media offices were shuttered, press freedom was stifled, and the essence of the Constitution was undermined -- all part of the Congress’ historical narrative, he reminded.

“Every time Congress ascends to power, it becomes intoxicated with authority. Over the past two years in Karnataka, it has attempted to establish authoritarian governance. To suppress opposition parties that have raised questions regarding a series of corruption scandals and ineffective governance, Congress has manipulated the police system to intimidate them. Utilizing the Speaker of the Assembly, Congress suspended 18 opposition MLAs for an extended duration -- leveraging the Speaker’s position to display its autocratic tendencies,” he asserted.

“Now, under the guise of 'achievements', the Congress government is misleading the populace with extravagant 'Sadhana Samaveshas (achievement conventions)', despite a depleted treasury. When the BJP, acting as a responsible opposition, released advertisements through the media challenging this anti-people approach, the Congress, unsettled by the backlash, resorted to filing a defamation lawsuit. By employing government resources and officials for this purpose, it has, for the first time in Karnataka, issued a grim warning designed to intimidate both the opposition and the media,” Vijayendra noted.

He remarked that the Congress government is so frightened that a mere advertisement reflects sheer cowardice.

The Congress-led government had announced on Sunday that it had decided to file the defamation case with the 42nd Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court (CMM) against the 'false campaign' directed at the state administration.

The government further indicated that it had designated the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) to initiate the case and appointed public prosecutors B.S. Patil and Shailaja Nayak to represent it. The government also appointed Kumata Prakash, Deputy Secretary of the DPAR department, to coordinate among various departments and provide all necessary inputs and documents for the public prosecutors.