The Governor read two lines, walked out, and left Article 176 on the floor of the House

Karnataka's budget session opened on January 22 with a confrontation inside Vidhana Soudha. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot arrived at the scheduled time, was received at the steps of the secretariat by the chief minister, the speaker and the chairman of the council, and then read two lines of the address the state Cabinet had prepared for him. He closed with a line in Hindi about the government's commitment to development, and walked out. He did not wait for the national anthem.

1. 1.43 pages in the Cabinet-drafted address.
2. 2.11 paragraphs the Governor objected to.
3. 3.2 lines actually read to the joint house.
4. 4.Under 2 minutes on the podium.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's response was immediate and constitutional in framing. Under Article 176 of the Constitution the Governor addresses the first session of the legislature each year, and under Article 163 acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. Reading a self-prepared text in place of the Cabinet's, he said, was a violation of both. The state would protest, he said, and would examine whether to approach the Supreme Court. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil called it a black day in the history of democracy.

What the Governor objected to

The objections were specific and had been signalled the previous evening. Gehlot had reservations about eleven paragraphs that criticised the central government, including language on the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and on the new G RAM G law that replaced it. A Cabinet delegation led by H K Patil met him on January 21 to press for compliance; the state was reported to have agreed to remove a couple of sentences but the broader disagreement over the remaining paragraphs was not resolved.

Under Article 176, the Governor is required to address the Legislature at the first session of the year and that address is the policy statement of the elected government, not his personal views. It is prepared by the Cabinet and he is constitutionally expected to deliver it as advised.