K'taka Cong files complaint against BJP's newspaper advertisement
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress on Friday filed a complaint with the Home Department and DGP M A Saleem against BJP for allegedly misusing Mahatma Gandhi's photograph in an advertisement to target the party-led government in the state.
The advertisement shows caricatures of Mahatma Gandhi showing a stick towards Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi.
It has a caption where Gandhi is accusing them of looting for 60 years in his name and now indulging in misinformation against the VB-G RAM G Act brought in by the Modi government, which he says fulfils his dream of gram swaraj.
The advertisement published on Friday in several leading Kannada and English newspapers is in response to the ad issued by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department both on January 29 and February 3, which 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.
"It has come to my notice that an advertisement given in several of today's i.e., 06-02-2026 news papers is being publicly circulated wherein the image of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and an internationally revered symbol of non-violence, has been wrongfully and irresponsibly used in connection with violent acts / violent messaging / incitement to violence," Congress MLC, Ramesh Babu stated in the complaint.
He claimed that such misuse is deeply offensive, distorts the legacy of Gandhi, hurts public sentiments, and has the potential to disturb public order and harmony.
"This advertisement is published by Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka Unit, Bangalore. The above act constitutes cognizable offences under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023," Babu said citing the various sections.
Further, the content is circulated through electronic and digital platforms also, he said.
"The act also violates the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 by unauthorized use of Mahatma Gandhi's image. Mahatma Gandhi represents the constitutional values of peace, non-violence, and unity. Any attempt to associate his image with violence is dangerous, unlawful, and against the spirit of the Constitution of India, and may provoke unrest among the public," he alleged.
Babu requested the police chief to direct the officers concerned to register an FIR and conduct a thorough investigation in this regard.
He urged him to initiate strict legal action against all responsible persons and take preventive steps to stop further circulation or misuse of national icons.
Meanwhile, taking to social media platform 'X', IT Minister Priyank Kharge hit out at the BJP claiming that then Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse whereas today Gandhism is being assassinated by "followers of Godse".
He said Mahatma Gandhi was the one who strongly conveyed the message of non-violence to the world.
"Gandhi never raised the walking stick in his hand to attack anyone. Gandhi never showed the path of falsehood. However, failing to understand the greatness of the Mahatma, @RSSorg and @BJP4Karnataka have once again insulted Mahatma Gandhi by issuing an advertisement portraying him as a proponent of violence," he said in his post.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
