Karnataka BJP's R. Ashoka calls CM Shivakumar 'puppet', demands inspector suspension
Synopsis
BJP Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka escalated Karnataka's religious-politics flashpoint on Wednesday, calling CM D.K. Shivakumar a 'puppet' of the Gandhi family and giving the state government one week to suspend a police inspector accused of making controversial remarks about a Ganesh procession — setting up a potential BJP-led demonstration in T. Narasipura.
Key Takeaways
Ashoka , BJP Leader of Opposition in Karnataka , called CM D.K.
Shivakumar a 'puppet' of the Congress leadership on 16 September .
Ashoka alleged Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi treat Hindus as inferiors — a claim Congress has not publicly responded to as of this report.
The BJP has given the government one week to suspend the police inspector of T.
Narasipura over alleged controversial remarks about a Ganesh procession.
Ashoka levelled further allegations against the inspector, including alleged assault of Dalits with a cricket bat and involvement in cheating a woman.
The row follows a stone-pelting incident in Maddur on 7 September 2025 that injured at least 8 people and led to 20 arrests .
The BJP plans a large Ganesh immersion procession in T.
Narasipura and Mysuru as a show of political strength.
Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Wednesday, 16 September levelled sharp allegations against the Congress leadership and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, accusing Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi of treating Hindus as inferiors and calling the Chief Minister a 'puppet' of the central Congress leadership. Ashoka was speaking to reporters in Maddur, Mandya district, while participating in a Ganesh immersion procession.
Key Allegations by Ashoka
Speaking at the event, Ashoka alleged, 'It is in the blood of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to treat Hindus as inferiors. D.K. Shivakumar is a puppet in their hands. We do not have any expectation from this puppet Chief Minister.' The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said his party had given the state government one week's time to suspend the police inspector of T. Narasipura town, who allegedly made a controversial statement regarding a Ganesh procession.
Ashoka further alleged that the inspector in question faced charges of assaulting Dalits with a cricket bat and was allegedly involved in cheating a woman. He also alleged, without providing documentary evidence, that the inspector was 'supporting matka and ganja trade in the region.'
The T. Narasipura Dispute
The BJP's confrontation with the Karnataka Congress government centres on the conduct of a police inspector in T. Narasipura, a town in Mysuru district. Ashoka said he had spoken to party workers in Mysuru and T. Narasipura and that the BJP was planning a large Ganesh immersion procession in both locations, mirroring the one organised in Maddur.
Notably, this comes amid a broader political confrontation in Karnataka between the BJP and the Congress over the handling of Ganesh processions and police conduct during communally sensitive events.
Footwear Row During BJP Protest
Ashoka also responded to criticism that BJP leaders were wearing footwear while carrying Ganesh idols during a protest in T. Narasipura. He drew a clear distinction between protest and worship, saying, 'We were staging a protest; we were not conducting worship.' He added that sanctity attaches to an idol only when it is formally installed and worshipped, not during a street demonstration.
He further turned the question on Congress leaders, asking whether they removed their footwear while receiving mementos bearing images of Hindu deities at public events — a challenge he said Congress had yet to answer.
Background: Maddur Stone-Pelting Incident
The political temperature in Mandya district has been elevated since a stone-pelting incident during a Ganesha idol immersion procession in Maddur town on 7 September 2025, which left at least eight people injured. Violence broke out when the procession passed near a place of worship in Ram Rahim Nagar, where stones were reportedly hurled at participants. Law enforcement imposed Section 144 prohibitory orders, took 20 individuals into custody, and registered multiple cases relating to the stone-pelting and subsequent protests.
The BJP has since used the incident to press the Congress-led state government on law and order, particularly around religious processions, with Wednesday's remarks representing an escalation of that campaign ahead of what the party described as a planned large-scale immersion procession.
Point of View
Not just political point-scoring. The Congress has yet to formally respond, a silence that, in the current media cycle, does the party no favours. What the mainstream coverage underplays is the BJP's organisational move: planning large-scale processions in T. Narasipura and Mysuru signals a ground-level campaign, not merely a press conference.
NationPress
16 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did R. Ashoka allege against CM D.K. Shivakumar?
BJP Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka alleged on 16 September that CM D.K. Shivakumar functions as a 'puppet' of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi , and that it is 'in the blood' of the Gandhi family to treat Hindus as inferiors. He said the BJP has no expectations from what he called a 'puppet Chief Minister.'
Why is the BJP demanding the suspension of the T. Narasipura police inspector?
According to Ashoka, the police inspector of T. Narasipura town made a controversial statement regarding a Ganesh procession. The BJP has given the Karnataka government one week to suspend the official, and Ashoka also levelled additional allegations against the inspector, including alleged assault of Dalits with a cricket bat and involvement in cheating a woman.
What was the Maddur stone-pelting incident?
On 7 September 2025 , a stone-pelting incident occurred during a Ganesha idol immersion procession in Maddur town, Mandya district , injuring at least 8 people . Violence broke out near a place of worship in Ram Rahim Nagar , prompting police to impose Section 144 prohibitory orders and detain 20 individuals .
How did Ashoka defend BJP leaders wearing footwear while carrying Ganesh idols?
Ashoka argued that the BJP was conducting a protest, not a worship ceremony, and that sanctity attaches to a Ganesh idol only after it is formally installed and worshipped. He also counter-questioned Congress leaders over whether they remove their footwear when receiving mementos depicting Hindu deities at public events.
What is the BJP planning next in Karnataka?
Ashoka said the BJP is planning a large Ganesh immersion procession in T. Narasipura and Mysuru , modelled on the one held in Maddur. The move is being framed as a show of solidarity with Hindu sentiments and a political response to the state government's handling of the procession controversy.
