Mon Jan 27 19:58:29 UTC 2025: ## Karnataka Congress’s Constitutional Commitment Questioned Amidst Crackdown on Protests
**Bengaluru, January 28, 2025** – The Congress party’s recent launch of the “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” campaign, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution, is facing scrutiny amidst allegations of hypocrisy regarding the party’s handling of freedom of assembly in Karnataka.
While the Congress government has publicly championed constitutional values, hosting conferences and celebrations, critics point to the continued enforcement of a 2021 BJP-era order restricting protests in Bengaluru to a single, small park. This order, ostensibly implemented to manage traffic, has resulted in numerous arrests and FIRs against peaceful protesters advocating for various causes, including farmers’ rights and Palestine solidarity.
Academics Rajendran Narayanan and advocate Vinay Sreenivasa argue that the government’s justification for restricting protests based on traffic concerns is weak and serves as a pretext to suppress dissent. They highlight that the real cause of Bengaluru’s traffic congestion is the lack of adequate public transport, not peaceful protests. They cite several instances where peaceful protests, including a satyagraha on Gandhi’s birth anniversary, were met with police crackdowns, despite the fundamental right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly enshrined in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.
The authors contend that the Congress government’s actions directly contradict its public commitment to constitutional values and the legacy of Gandhian and Ambedkarite movements for social justice. They call for the revocation of the 2021 order, asserting that peaceful protests are crucial for a functioning democracy and that the current situation undermines the very principles the “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” campaign aims to uphold. Unless the order is repealed, the campaign’s message risks being perceived as mere rhetoric.
First Piper 