Kumaraswamy calls on people to protest against BJP’s attempts to topple Karnataka govt
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday called on the people of the state to protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s alleged attempts to topple the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance government.
At a speech in Chennarayapatna Taluk in Hassan district, Kumaraswamy said: “The leaders of the BJP who are creating hurdles to this government which is bringing out development programmes for the state... I appeal to the people, this government which has set out to work diligently, this pro people government that they (BJP) want to topple, the people of this state should protest.”
The chief minister was referring to constant rumours of the BJP allegedly offering monetary enticements to MLAs of the Congress and JD(S) to switch loyalties in a bid to come back to power.
At present the Congress-JD(S) alliance has the support of 118 MLAs and the BJP has 104 MLAs.
Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy had even alleged that the BJP had offered Rs 5 crore to two MLAs, one each from the Congress and the JD(S) to switch sides.
The BJP, however, denied these charges and said it would oppose against the chief minister’s call to citizens to protest on Friday.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
