Karnataka: Cong complaint against BJP ad using Mahatma Gandhi caricature

Karnataka’s ruling Congress on Friday, 6 January lodged a formal complaint with the state home department and director-general of police M.A. Saleem, accusing the BJP of misusing Mahatma Gandhi’s image in a newspaper advertisement aimed at criticising the state government.

According to the complaint, the advertisement — published across several leading Kannada and English dailies — features caricatures of Gandhiji pointing his walking stick at chief minister Siddaramaiah, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. It carries text suggesting they had looted the country in his name for six decades and were now spreading misinformation about the Centre’s VB-GRAMG Act, which the message claims fulfils Gandhiji’s vision of gram swaraj.

The BJP’s campaign followed an earlier publicity push by Karnataka’s rural development and panchayat raj department on 29 January and 3 February. Those advertisements portrayed Gandhiji in conversation with a fictional character named ‘Sangappa’, depicted in attire resembling an RSS uniform, and sought to highlight what the state government described as shortcomings in the Centre’s legislation compared to the earlier framework.

The VB-GRAMG Act recently replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — the flagship welfare programme of the Congress-led UPA government that legally guaranteed rural households up to 100 days of wage employment a year through public works projects, aimed at strengthening livelihood security and local infrastructure.

In his complaint, Congress MLC Ramesh Babu alleged the BJP’s advertisement amounted to irresponsible misuse of a national icon. "It has come to my notice that an advertisement given in several of today's i.e., 06-02-2026 news papers is being publicly circulated wherein the image of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation and an internationally revered symbol of non-violence, has been wrongfully and irresponsibly used in connection with violent acts / violent messaging / incitement to violence," he stated.

He argued that the portrayal distorted Gandhi’s legacy, offended public sentiment and risked disturbing social harmony. "This advertisement is published by Bharatiya Janata Party, Karnataka Unit, Bangalore. The above act constitutes cognizable offences under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023," Babu said, citing relevant sections.

He further alleged that the material was being circulated widely through electronic and digital platforms. "The act also violates the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 by unauthorized use of Mahatma Gandhi's image. Mahatma Gandhi represents the constitutional values of peace, non-violence, and unity. Any attempt to associate his image with violence is dangerous, unlawful, and against the spirit of the Constitution of India, and may provoke unrest among the public," he alleged.

Babu requested the police chief to direct officers to register an FIR, conduct a comprehensive investigation, initiate strict legal action against those responsible, and take steps to prevent further dissemination of the material.

Separately, Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge criticised the BJP on social media platform X, drawing a historical parallel in his remarks. He wrote that Gandhi had been assassinated by Nathuram Godse and that Gandhian ideals were now under attack from what he described as “followers of Godse”.

He emphasised Gandhi’s global role in advocating non-violence. "Gandhi never raised the walking stick in his hand to attack anyone. Gandhi never showed the path of falsehood. However, failing to understand the greatness of the Mahatma, @RSSorg and @BJP4Karnataka have once again insulted Mahatma Gandhi by issuing an advertisement portraying him as a proponent of violence," he said.

With PTI inputs