BJP attacks Cong, JD(S) for 'targeting' Kichha Sudeep for supporting it
Bengaluru, apr 8: The BJP on Saturday accused the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) of targeting actor Kichha Sudeep for his support to the ruling party in poll-bound Karnataka and cited his tribal background to hit out at its rivals.
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said Sudeep has earned his standing and not inherited it like Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and accused opposition parties of "hypocrisy" for speaking for freedom of expression and democratic rights on one hand and on the other, targeting the actor for exercising his right to support a party.
Speaking to reporters, Bhatia also hit back at critics for claiming that the BJP seeking support from Sudeep highlighted its weakness and dependence on outsiders as he noted that actors such as Swara Bhaskar and Riya Sen had joined Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.
Bhaskar had extended support to the people who raised slogans against the country's integrity, he alleged.
Congress leaders have claimed that Sudeep's support to the BJP was due to pressure from probe agencies while the JD(S) has also taken aims at him.
It reveals the "sick mentality" of the two parties, Bhatia said, accusing them of hurting sentiments of every Kannadiga as Sudeep is a son of the soil.
Rahul Gandhi has a right to go abroad and "defame" India by making "false statements" but the Congress will say this is his right to freedom of speech, he said.
But, according to the Congress, an Indian citizen in his home state cannot choose what his political leaning would be, the BJP leader alleged.
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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.
