BENGALURU: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Haveri BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said the BJP would launch a legal battle against the state government’s move to bring a law against hate speech as it curtails freedom of speech and personal liberty. He accused the government of plotting to send those speaking against the state government to jail.
In a post on social media platform ‘X’, Bommai termed the proposed law as unconstitutional. “There are already sufficient laws in place to curb hate speech. Those laws can be used. But by bringing a law that prescribes 10 years of imprisonment, the government is plotting to send to jail-through non-bailable warrants-those who speak against the government or against their party. This is against democracy,” he wrote. “In one sense, it feels as though an Emergency has been declared in Karnataka.
The government, which has not carried out any development work and is involved in corruption in every sector--one that has siphoned off funds meant for the poor and the downtrodden--has brought in this oppressive law to suppress the voices of anyone who raises their voice against it,” he added. The CM who talks about personal freedom and the Constitution has acted in complete contradiction to it, he said.