Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sparked controversy after he lost his temper at a Congress rally in Belagavi, where black flags were waved by protestors. The Chief Minister, standing on stage with other party leaders, called out to a police officer in anger, questioning how protestors managed to infiltrate the venue.
“Hey, come here, who’s the SP? What are you guys doing?” Siddaramaiah was heard saying before the audio became unclear. He even raised his hand in a slap-like gesture towards Dharwad Additional SP Narayana Baramani, who quickly moved back to avoid confrontation.
,@siddaramaiah ನಿಮಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರದ ದರ್ಪ ತಲೆಗೇರಿದೆ.
— Janata Dal Secular (@JanataDal_S) April 28, 2025
ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ವರಿಷ್ಠಾಧಿಕಾರಿಗೆ ಹೊಡೆಯಲು ಕೈ ಎತ್ತುವುದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ, ಘನತೆಗೆ ಕಿಂಚಿತ್ತೂ ಶೋಭೆ ತರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ಸ್ಥಾನದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ನೀವು, ಬೀದಿ ರೌಡಿಯಂತೆ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಏಕವಚನ ಪ್ರಯೋಗಿಸಿ, ಎಸ್ಪಿ (SP)ಗೆ ಹೊಡೆಯಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸಿದ್ದು ಅಕ್ಷಮ್ಯ… pic.twitter.com/GXeZbtk73t
This action drew sharp criticism from political rivals. The Janata Dal Secular (JDS) posted on X: “Power is not permanent. Raising your hand to hit the police officer does not bring any glory to your position or dignity. Your term of office is only 5 years. But a government officer serves till the age of 60.”
Karnataka BJP spokesperson Vijay Prasad termed Siddaramaiah’s behavior “a disgrace of the highest order” and demanded, “You must immediately and unconditionally apologise to the officer you sought to humiliate.” She accused him of dragging the dignity of his office “into shameful depths.”
Former Union Minister and BJP MLA Basanagouda R Patil also condemned the incident, calling the Chief Minister’s behavior “unexpected” and said, “The Chief Minister is demoralising not only the Police officers but also the entire Police Department.”
This episode comes just a day after Siddaramaiah faced criticism over his comments regarding conflict with Pakistan following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed.
Clarifying his earlier remark, Siddaramaiah said he did not mean “complete no to war,” but that war should happen only if “inevitable.” However, the damage seems to have been done, with political opponents intensifying their attacks.
