Bengaluru: Minister of State (MoS) for Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Shobha Karandlaje, on Saturday, alleged that the Congress-led government is attempting to impose an undeclared Emergency in Karnataka.

Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters, “Jagannath Bhavan”, the Union Minister declared the law regarding the hate speech regulation would not be allowed to be implemented under any circumstances.

Union Minister Karandlaje said that the Congress mindset is that whatever it has done from the past till now must be accepted without any opposition.

She said the Belagavi Legislature session should have been used to discuss the problems of North Karnataka, but instead, the entire session was confined to the introduction of the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill.

“What does the Congress want? Why has the Congress brought the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill? What is the intention behind it, and who are the people backing it?” she asked.

She alleged that a new fact-check agency has been launched in Karnataka. Union Minister Karandlaje claimed that meetings related to this agency were held in 2023. She alleged that the agency includes private individuals, private agencies, and certain organisations that support the Congress.

She said the agency is chaired by Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge and includes the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and Home Minister G. Parameshwara, but the responsibility of the fact-check agency has been handed over to Priyank Kharge.

Union Minister Karandlaje alleged that the Karnataka government is spending Rs 3 to 4 crore annually on this fact-check agency. She claimed that the intention behind this was to provide responsibility to Congress loyalists and followers.

She alleged that the agency monitors the media and submits reports to the state government, and that filing cases through the concerned Superintendents of Police is part of its mandate.

She alleged that Minister Priyank Kharge, whom she accused of making inflammatory remarks and spreading hatred across the state, is heading the agency.

“We cannot expect justice from such a person,” she said. Union Minister Karandlaje claimed that the agency operates from the state level down to the taluk level and is being funded with taxpayers’ money. She alleged that cases have been filed against 35 BJP social media activists, as well as against MLAs and MLCs, and blamed the agency for this. She claimed that the agency reports on who speaks against whom and who posts on social media, based on which the state government files cases. The Union Minister also named individuals allegedly associated with the agency.

She said the Bill has been passed by both Houses and alleged that it violates Article 19(1) and Article 19(2) of the Constitution, which guarantee the freedom of speech and expression. She accused the Congress-led government, which she said often carries copies of the Constitution, of snatching away the freedom of expression given by B.R. Ambedkar.