Karnataka Suspends Two Teachers for Attending RSS March, Sparking Intense Political Clash With BJP
The Congress-led Karnataka government has triggered a major political showdown by suspending two government school teachers for participating in a path sanchalan (road march) organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The disciplinary action has drawn sharp, furious condemnation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to a heated public war of words between state ministers and central leadership over administrative priorities and ideological bias.
Suspension in Yadgir District and Departmental Inquiry
The Karnataka Education Department issued suspension orders against two educators from Yadgir district—Guru Raj Joshi and Anna Saheb Deshmukh—pending a formal departmental inquiry. The state administration flagged their participation in the RSS march as a violation of conduct rules for government employees.
Defending the strict punitive action, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge justified the government's stance. He questioned why state-employed teachers chose to participate in the public events of an external registered organization, an apparent reference to the RSS, asserting that service rules must be strictly upheld.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi Slams Karnataka Government
The suspension provoked immediate and severe backlash from the opposition. Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi condemned the move as "utterly wrong," accusing the state government of operating out of political hatred and ideological malice. He urgently demanded the immediate revocation of the suspension orders.
Escalating the political confrontation, Joshi shifted focus to the administration's law-and-order record, contrasting the swift suspension of teachers with the government's failure to locate a missing senior bureaucrat linked to state recruitment irregularities. The high-profile clash highlights growing political tensions over civil service conduct and ideological crackdowns in the southern state.
