A sharp political controversy has erupted in Karnataka over the ongoing demolition of unauthorized constructions in Bengaluru, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing Congress general secretary KC Venugopal of overstepping his role by intervening in state administration matters. The BJP charged that Venugopal's public statement expressing the party's high command's "serious concern" over the demolitions amounted to treating Karnataka's elected government as subordinate to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in Delhi. Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, directly questioned whether Venugopal was functioning as a "Super CM" and whether the Congress high command believed state governments operated on central diktats.

The row began after KC Venugopal posted on social media that he had spoken with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar regarding the demolitions in areas like Kogilu village. Venugopal stated that he conveyed the AICC's view that such actions should have been carried out with greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping human impact at the forefront. He added that the state leaders assured him they would personally engage with affected families, establish grievance redressal mechanisms, and ensure rehabilitation and relief for those impacted. The BJP seized on these remarks to allege blatant overreach and an insult to federalism.

R Ashoka strongly criticized the intervention, asserting that Karnataka is governed by a constitutionally elected chief minister and cabinet, not by an AICC general secretary. He described the pressure tactics as an attempt to undermine the state's dignity, self-respect, and administrative autonomy. "Karnataka is not a colony of Rahul Gandhi and his coterie," Ashoka declared, accusing Venugopal of hypocrisy for remaining silent on other pressing issues in the state, such as farmers' concerns, while selectively commenting on demolitions. The BJP leader emphasized that the people of Karnataka voted for honest, autonomous governance, not "high-command theatrics" from Delhi.

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The controversy has also drawn attention from outside Karnataka, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan labelling the demolition drive as the "brutal normalization of bulldozer raj." Venugopal's involvement has intensified the political slugfest between the BJP and Congress in Karnataka, where the Congress government faces criticism over the handling of encroachments and unauthorized structures amid growing demands for stricter enforcement of land laws. The BJP has framed the episode as evidence of central interference in state affairs, while the Congress maintains that its leadership is merely expressing concern for humane implementation of legal actions.

This latest exchange highlights the ongoing tensions between the central leadership and state units within the Congress, as well as the BJP's strategy to portray the ruling party in Karnataka as lacking autonomy. As demolitions continue in Bengaluru's urban fringes to clear encroachments on public land, the political blame game shows no signs of abating, with both sides trading accusations over governance, federalism, and compassion for affected residents.

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