NEW DELHI: Karnataka BJP leader on Sunday slammed Congress general secretary K C Venugopal over his remarks on the Bengaluru demolition drive, accusing him of interfering in the state’s administration and asking whether he was acting as a "super CM".Leader of opposition in the Karnataka assembly, R Ashoka, said the state "deserves respect, autonomy and honest governance, not high-command theatrics," further asserting that "Karnataka is not a colony of Rahul Gandhi and his coterie."

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LoP Ashoka asked, "Who is K C Venugopal to intervene in the administration of Karnataka. Is he a Super CM, or does the Congress high command believe elected state governments function on Delhi diktats."He stated that Karnataka is governed by a constitutionally elected chief minister and cabinet, not by an AICC general secretary. Expressing a party view is one thing, but issuing moral sermons and applying pressure on a state government amounts to "blatant overreach" and is an insult to federalism, the BJP leader added.

Congress' Venugopal expresses 'serious concern'

The BJP leader’s remarks came after Venugopal expressed "serious concern" over the demolition drive carried out by the Karnataka government in Kogilu village, which led to the eviction of several settlers.

Earlier in a post on X on Saturday, Venugopal said he had spoken to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and conveyed that such actions should have been taken with "far greater caution".He said he had conveyed "the AICC's serious concern that such actions should have been undertaken with far greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre.""They have assured that they will personally engage with the affected families, put in place an appropriate mechanism for addressing grievances, and ensure rehabilitation and relief for those impacted," Venugopal added.

BJP alleges intervention

Ashoka questioned Venugopal’s selective intervention, asking whether he had shown similar concern when "medical and other waste from Kerala have been illegally dumped along Karnataka’s borders, threatening Bandipur, forest regions, public health, and wildlife"."What's more troubling is the rank hypocrisy. Has K C Venugopal ever shown the same urgency when medical and other waste from Kerala have been illegally dumped along Karnataka's borders, threatening Bandipur, forest regions, public health, and wildlife? Has he spoken up for Karnataka's environment, farmers, or border districts with the same concern and compassion," he asked."Silence there. Sermons here," he said, adding that the outrage was not about humanity but about "Congress high command politics, Kerala appeasement, and election optics", particularly when senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi represents Kerala in the Lok Sabha."Karnataka’s dignity, self-respect and administrative authority cannot be compromised to please party managers sitting in Delhi. The people of this state did not vote for a remote-control government," Ashoka said.Venugopal’s comments came following criticism from Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who described the demolitions in Bengaluru’s Fakir Colony and Waseem Layout as "extremely shocking and painful".