Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party and Karnataka MLA H.C. Balakrishna, a close associate of Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, over the latter's alleged remarks against Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje during a press conference on the Bidadi Township protest issue.
The row stems from Balakrishna's comments while defending the controversial Bidadi Township Project near Bengaluru, which has faced stiff opposition from the BJP and JD(S) over concerns related to land acquisition and its environmental impact.
Targeting Shobha Karandlaje, Balakrishna reportedly stated that the project had been initiated by her "Yajman" (husband). Karandlaje is unmarried, and the remark was widely interpreted as an indirect reference to former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who is often regarded as her political mentor.
Addressing the controversy, Joshi questioned whether "insulting women" had become part of the Congress party's culture and accused the party of repeatedly showing disrespect towards women in public life. "Congress leaders have absolutely no respect for women.
Is character assassination of women the culture of the Congress party?" Joshi said in a statement. The Union Minister alleged that Balakrishna had used objectionable and derogatory language against Karandlaje and described the remarks as the "height of indecency."
He claimed that the incident reflected the Congress party's attitude towards women. Joshi further stated that Balakrishna, whom he described as being politically close to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, had made unacceptable comments about a responsible woman public representative.
He said such statements exposed the legislator's mindset and amounted to disrespect towards women. Criticising the Congress party, Joshi said taking political differences to the level of personal attacks and insults demonstrated a deterioration in political discourse in the state.
"It is unfortunate that Congress leaders have stooped to such a level while speaking about a respected woman public representative. This amounts to the exploitation and humiliation of women," he said, adding that the party had a history of targeting women's dignity.
Joshi demanded that Balakrishna immediately apologise to the women of the state for his remarks. "He must tender an unconditional apology to the entire women's community for making insensitive and patriarchal comments against a woman public representative," he said.
The Union Minister also challenged the Congress leadership to take action against Balakrishna. "Congress leaders frequently speak about women's empowerment. Do they have the courage to act against their own MLA for his anti-women conduct?" Joshi asked.
He further questioned Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, asking whether the Congress would overlook the matter because of Balakrishna's proximity to the party leadership. Calling for disciplinary action, Joshi urged the Congress high command to initiate immediate proceedings against the MLA.
Joshi also addressed the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, asking, "Is this the culture of the Congress party? Is this the tradition your party follows while speaking about women?" The controversy stems from comments allegedly made by senior Karnataka MLA H.C. Balakrishna during a press interaction concerning the ongoing opposition to the proposed Bidadi Township project, which have drawn criticism from BJP leaders.
The BJP on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Congress after Balakrishna allegedly referred to Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje's "Yajman" remark while defending the controversial Bidadi Township Project, triggering a political row in the state.