'Go on hunger strike, face lathi, then I'll resign': Kharge Jr. on students' stir

BENGALURU: A remark by Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge suggesting that those demanding his resignation should first face a "lathi-charge" snowballed into a political controversy on Tuesday, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of mocking students protesting alleged irregularities in the police constable recruitment exam.Responding to criticism over the handling of protests at an examination centre in Vijayapura, Kharge said only around 120 candidates created disruption while lakhs wrote the exam peacefully. "If you disrupt the examination centre, throw open the gates and dismantle the arrangements, what do you expect us to do? Our responsibility is towards those writing the examination as well. To maintain law and order, we had to take a few people into custody," he said.The controversy began after candidates appearing for the police constable recruitment examination at Tikota Sharadamba PU College alleged irregularities, claiming the serial numbers on their OMR sheets did not match those on the question papers. Many walked out of the examination centre demanding a re-test.The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), however, rejected the allegations, clarifying that there is no rule requiring OMR sheet numbers and question paper numbers to match.It said candidates had been misled by misinformation circulated on social media and reiterated that only the question paper series and version code needed to be filled on the answer sheet.The examination, held across Karnataka, was conducted to fill 1,453 civil police constable vacancies.As the opposition stepped up demands for his resignation, Kharge hit back by referring to the BJP government's handling of the police sub-inspector recruitment scam. "I will resign. Let them first go on a 25-day hunger strike. If they don't control, we will carry out a lathi-charge, and then I will resign, just as they did earlier. Why didn't Basavaraj Bommai or Araga Jnanendra resign during the PSI scam?" he said.The BJP and JD(S) condemned the remarks, with leader of opposition R Ashoka demanding Kharge's immediate resignation and accusing the Congress government of failing to ensure a fair recruitment process.BJP leaders alleged the minister was effectively telling protesting students to face police batons before their grievances would be addressed.As the controversy escalated, Kharge accused sections of the media of selectively clipping his remarks to create a false narrative. He maintained that his comments were directed at the BJP's political protests, not at students, and announced that the Home Department had been asked to investigate those responsible for circulating what he described as "distorted" videos. He also warned of legal action against those spreading misinformation.Joining the attack, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the Congress of hypocrisy, saying a party that claims to champion students on issues such as NEET was now defending a minister who made an "insensitive" remark over recruitment exam protests.He said the BJP strongly condemned Kharge's statement and accused the Congress of playing politics with students' interests.(With ANI inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bengaluru | Silver Rate in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Petrol Price in Bengaluru | Diesel Price in Bengaluru | CNG Price in Bengaluru | LPG Price in BengaluruStay updated with the latest Bengaluru news. Download the TOI App.