Karnataka BJP backs Guv Gehlot's address deviation, accuses Cong govt of 'misusing' assembly
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP State President B Y Vijayendra on Thursday strongly defended Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot over his decision to deviate from the government prepared speech during his address to the joint legislative session, and accused the ruling Congress of "misusing" the floor of the House to foster public resentment against the Centre.
He also demanded that CM Siddaramaiah take action against the ruling party MLA, MLCs for "trying to attack the governor".
"What his excellency governor has done today is right. He has taken the right decision. He has done his duty whereas the ruling Congress government insulting governor is not correct. Ruling party MLA, MLCs trying to attack his excellency is totally unconstitutional. So, I demand chief minister Siddaramaiah to tender an apology for the attitude of ruling MLA and MLCs... he should also take strict action.
"The Speaker should also look into the matter and take action against those MLA and MLCs who are trying to stop and attack governor," he told reporters here.
Earlier, Gehlot concluded his customary address to the joint session of the state legislature here after reading just two lines.
After delivering the brief address, the Governor walked out of the Assembly, amid protests by Congress members and attempts to gherao him.
Accusing the Congress government of "trying to misuse" the assembly, the BJP chief sought to know why such a situation arose in Karnataka today.
"When the Congress government is trying to misuse the assembly, they are trying to antagonise people against the central government is not correct. What is the reason?" he asked.
Vijayendra highlighted the various changes brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the NDA government and reflected how MGNREGA was replaced by VB-G RAM G, saying the PM's vision is to ensure the dream of Mahatma Gandhi ji -- Ram Raj and Gram Raj.
"To realise this dream, many valuable changes have been made and the poor people all across the country are welcoming this move. But unfortunately, the Siddaramaiah government is trying to politicise this issue, and spreading a false narrative, which is totally unacceptable," he said.
Responding to a query on the Congress dispensation exploring the option of approaching the Supreme Court against the Governor's attitude, the BJP state president said, "... it is up to them, but Siddaramaiah is acting as if he is the chief minister of the Congress party."
"Let me remind Siddaramaiah that he is the chief minister of Karnataka state and not the Congress party. He should not lower the dignity of the gubernatorial post. He should also not lower the dignity of the house. It is his responsibility," he added.
Reacting to the governor's decision to read his own speech, Vijayendra said they cannot expect the governor to act like a puppet and follow their directions.
"See by taking the constitution provisions you can't turn the governor into a puppet. You can't expect governor to follow your directions that's why I told the state government, and more importantly the chief minister should come forward to save the dignity of the house. He should respect the House. He should also respect the Raj Bhavan. It is chief minister minister himself who is trying to politicise and undermine the provisions of the constitution," he said.
Asked about allegations that Governor was acting as a political tool of BJP, Vijayendra said if at all the governor wanted to act like the political tool of the BJP, he could have skipped the session today.
"With due respect to the constitution provision, the governor his excellency came here and addressed the assembly and had discharged his duty. What else do they expect?" he asked.
Regarding the Congress' decision to protest against the governor's attitude, Vijayendra said that congress was left with no other choice.
"Till today people are cursing this Congress government as we have been discussing since last two years, where is development ? People are upset with this government... to cover up its failures, it is trying to blame central government. They (state government) trying to blame his excellency is not correct. BJP will face it politically. We will also hit the streets," he added.
Gehlot had on Wednesday refused to deliver the customary address to the Karnataka legislature scheduled for Thursday, taking exception to certain references to the Centre "repealing" the UPA-era MGNREGA.
A total of 11 paragraphs in the government prepared speech, which allegedly makes critical reference to the Centre and its policies, touching upon the MGNREGA and issues including devolution of funds seem to have irked the governor, who wanted them to be deleted.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
