Mangaluru, 11 Jan

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had neither granted assent nor sent back the Hate Speech Bill.

Siddaramaiah said in Mangaluru on Sunday that he would meet Gehlot to explain the Bill event as the BJP plans to urge the latter not togive his assent.

“The bill was passed by the legislature. The Governor has neither rejected it or sent it back, nor has given his assent to it. Let’s see, whenever he calls, I will go and explain to him (Governor),” Siddaramaiah said.

The Bill proposes a jail term of one year, extendable up to seven years with a fine of Rs 50,000 for hate crime. For repeated offences the maximum imprisonment will be seven years, with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

The Lok Bhavan (the Governor House) on Friday in a statement had said that the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill was “under consideration”.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that a Governor has three options when receiving a Bill: grant assent, reserve for the President’s consideration or return to the state for reconsideration. The apex court ruled that a Governor cannot indefinitely withhold a bill, but did not fix a timeframe as to when the Governor should exercise one of their three options.

NO FIGHT FOR CM POST

Responding to a question on an alleged power struggle forthe Chief Minister’s post, Siddaramaiah said “There is no fight, you (media) create it. Where is the fight? Unnecessarily you ask such questions”.

The BJP had earlier claimed on social media that the fight between Siddaramaiah and his Deputy would restart after Sankranti (14 January).

BALLARI PADAYATRA

Reacting to BJP’s proposed ‘padayatra’ (foot march) from Ballari to Bengaluru in connection with recent clashes in Ballari that led to the death of a person, the CM said, “let them do it, who said they should not.”

“We (Congress) launched a p adayatra when then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde had given a report saying that Ballari has been converted into Republic if Ballari due to illegal mining,” Siddaramaiah said. “When I (as Leader of Opposition) discussed in the assembly, Reddy brothers (then minister G Janardhan Reddy and brothers) and Yediyurappa (then CM) vehemently objected, so I had led a p adayatra (to Ballari).”

He was referring to the Congress' 320 km padayatra in 2010from Bengaluru to Ballari to expose illegal mining in the State.

Questioned the BJP’s move, Siddaramaiah alleged, “The banner was regarding the unveiling of Maharshi Valmiki statue, what was the need to remove it?”

Tension had prevailed in parts of Ballari on 1 January night after supporters of Ballari City Congress MLA Nara Bharath Reddy and Gangavati BJP MLA G Janardhan Reddy allegedly clashed over a banner installation issue. The situation turned violent with alleged stone-pelting and firing, leaving a Congress worker dead.