K'taka LoP writes to I B min committee against Cong govt ad criticising VB-G RAM G Act

Bengaluru, Feb 3 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy on Tuesday wrote to a committee under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, seeking action against "objectionable" advertisements issued by the Congress government in the state, against the centre's VB-G RAM G act, using public funds.

    The BJP leader termed the advertisements in violation of Supreme Court judgment and constitutional provisions.
    Narayanaswamy urged the Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA) to take immediate action to stop these advertisements and to initiate proceedings to recover the expenditure incurred on them from the concerned political party or the responsible officials.

    The opposition BJP has raised objections to the state government's advertisement criticising the Centre and its decision to repeal the UPA-era Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act.

    The advertisement issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department on January 29 and February 3, features caricatures of Gandhi in conversation with a fictional person named 'Sangappa', depicted wearing a white shirt and khaki trousers resembling an RSS uniform, to highlight the alleged shortcomings of the Centre's new act compared to the earlier legislation.

    The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on January 29 had witnessed uproar over a state government advertisement
    "I am writing this complaint to bring to your attention the advertisements being issued by the Government of Karnataka across various Print media platforms on 29th January and 3rd February 2026. These advertisements are designed to deliberately criticize VB G RAM G Central Government scheme and create confusion among the general public," Narayanaswamy said.


    He submitted that once a legislation or scheme passed with the consent of the Parliament and thereafter receives the assent of the President of India, attains finality and becomes binding across the territory of India.
     "Such enactments cannot be selectively opposed or indirectly negated by a state government through the medium of publicly funded advertisements."

    "The state forms an integral part of the constitutional framework of the Union and is duty bound to act in aid of and not in derogation of Central enactments and approved schemes," it added.


    Alleging that such complaints are in violation of Supreme Court judgment, Narayanaswamy said, as per the guidelines laid down by the SC in the case of 'Common Cause vs. Union of India (2015)', government advertisements must remain politically neutral.

    "However, these advertisements are politically motivated and utilize public funds for political criticism," he said.

    It also violates the constitutional provisions under Articles 256 and 257 of the Constitution of India, where the state governments are obligated to cooperate in the implementation of central laws and schemes.

    "These advertisements act contrary to the spirit of the federal structure," he said.

    Also, alleging misuse of public funds, Narayanaswamy further said that the taxpayers' money should be utilized solely for providing information regarding welfare schemes and not as a tool for political conflict between the Central and State Governments.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)