Protests erupted in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot only read out two lines from his customary address to the joint session of the state legislature, The Hindu reported.

Gehlot objected to 11 paragraphs in the speech prepared by the Congress government in Karnataka, which contained sharp criticism of the Union government for introducing the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the newspaper reported.

The speech also contained criticism of the Union government’s policy on devolving funds to state governments, PTI reported.

A governor is required to address the first session of the Assembly held in a year. As per convention, the governor reads a speech written by the state government.

This was the third such controversy in three days involving governors in Opposition-ruled states. The previous two instances took place in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Gehlot on Thursday began his speech with a customary greeting and then read out from his speech: “My government is committed to doubling the speed of economic and social progress in the state. Jai Hind, Jai Karnataka.”

He then concluded his address and left the House, The Hindu reported.

Congress MLAs protested against Gehlot for curtailing his speech and shouted “Shame, Shame!” on the floor of the House.

Citing the Constitution, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the governor is “bound to read the address prepared by the Council of Ministers and has no authority to substitute it with a speech of his own”.

The Congress leader said that the speech contained criticism of the VB-G Ram G Act for giving the Union government greater control on the allocation of work as part of the employment guarantee scheme, The Hindu reported.

The speech also included a demand from the state government to bring back the MGNREGA, the newspaper reported.

“The governor has chosen to justify this new law and act as though he lacks independence, aligning himself with the Union government’s position,” Siddaramaiah said on social media. “As the elected government, we oppose this legislation, and these objections were therefore included in the Cabinet-approved address.”

By refusing to read the speech prepared by the Cabinet, the governor has violated constitutional provisions and insulted the legislature, the chief minister said.

“Our party and government, along with MLAs and MLCs, are protesting this across the state,” Siddaramaiah said.

He added that the state government will consider moving the Supreme Court in the matter.

Standoffs this week

Two days before the row in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi had also walked out of the Assembly on Tuesday without delivering his customary address to the Assembly. This was the fourth consecutive year that Ravi has walked out of the House during the opening ceremony.

The Tamil Nadu governor alleged that the Assembly had disrespected the national anthem and that his mic was switched off during the proceedings.

On the same day, the Kerala government claimed that Governor Rajendra Arlekar omitted some portions of the speech the Cabinet had prepared for him. The governor’s office claimed that its suggestions had been kept out of the original draft.