Protocol Breach or Political Posturing? BJP's Fiery Rally Disrupts Hubballi Ahead of CM's Mega Housing Event

 

Hubballi, Karnataka, January 24, 2026 – In a charged display of political brinkmanship, Karnataka BJP workers took to the streets of Hubballi on Saturday, staging a vociferous protest rally against an upcoming state government housing distribution extravaganza. Accusing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's administration of flagrant protocol violations and "usurping" credit for a centrally backed project, the opposition unleashed a barrage of slogans and posters, transforming the city's Durga Bail Circle into a cauldron of saffron fervor. The demonstration, led by local BJP heavyweights, comes just hours before the mega event on January 25, where over 20,000 homes are slated for handover to beneficiaries – a program BJP claims was birthed under their watch but is now being rebranded as a Congress triumph.

The rally, which snaked from Durga Bail Circle to Sanadi Appanna Circle, drew hundreds of BJP loyalists chanting "Siddaramaiah Hatao, Karnataka Bachao" (Remove Siddaramaiah, Save Karnataka) and demanding the removal of the Chief Minister's photographs from event banners. Protesters brandished placards decrying the government's "arrogance" and "neglect of democratic norms," while organizers alleged the event had morphed into a partisan Congress spectacle, sidelining key opposition figures. Tensions peaked when a massive cutout of a leader – erected along the event route on Mantur Road – collapsed amid gusty winds, injuring three individuals seriously. The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital, with preliminary reports blaming shoddy construction on the rushed preparations for an expected turnout of nearly three lakh attendees.

At the heart of the BJP's ire is the government's purported breach of protocol in inviting dignitaries for the Karnataka Slum Development Board (KSDB)-organized housewarming ceremony. Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Dharwad (encompassing Hubballi), was conspicuously absent from the guest list, a move BJP leaders branded as "insulting" and a deliberate ploy to erase the contributions of the previous BJP regime. The project, they argue, owes its genesis to former Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, and Basavaraj Bommai, with the BJP-led central government funneling ₹1.5 lakh per house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. Land for the development was sourced from the BJP-controlled Hubballi-Dharwad City Corporation, yet the state Congress dispensation has allegedly downplayed these inputs, projecting the initiative as its own brainchild.

"This is not just a protocol violation; it's a blatant attempt to rewrite history," thundered Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA Mahesh Tenginakai, the rally's firebrand spearhead, addressing a sea of saffron flags. "All these houses were built during the BJP's tenure in the state. Yediyurappa garu, Somanna garu [former Housing Minister V. Somanna], Shettar, and Bommai laid the foundation. The Congress has merely tied up loose ends and now claims the glory. They've taken ₹1.5 lakh from the Centre for each home, used our corporation's land, but won't invite our MP? They added Modiji's photo only after we raised hell, but Joshi ji – who lives right here in Hubballi – gets a lame excuse about 'unavailability'? This event was postponed multiple times; they could have timed it for him." Tenginakai's barbs drew roars from the crowd, with many echoing calls for the CM's ouster.

Joining Tenginakai was Dharwad MLA M.R. Patil, who lambasted Housing and Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan and KSDB Chairman Prasad Abbayya for "politicizing poverty alleviation." "Two-and-a-half years in power, and how many houses have they built from scratch? Zero," Patil quipped, underscoring the BJP's narrative of Congress as "credit thieves." Sources within the party revealed that the protest was also a strategic flex amid internal Congress rifts, with the Siddaramaiah-led event doubling as a show of strength against rival D.K. Shivakumar, the Deputy CM currently in Davos for global investor meets.

Congress circles dismissed the BJP's outcry as "sour grapes" from a defeated opposition desperate for relevance. Party insiders, speaking anonymously, highlighted that invitations were extended based on availability and logistical constraints, with the focus squarely on beneficiaries – primarily from marginalized slum communities. "This is about delivering justice to the poor, not settling political scores," one source remarked, noting the addition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image to event collateral as a nod to collaborative federalism. AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge is set to grace the dais alongside Siddaramaiah, underscoring the high-stakes optics of the gathering.

Preparations at the Mantur Road venue – a sprawling convention site – were in overdrive, with Congress workers erecting pandals, stages, and sanitation facilities for the mammoth crowd. However, the cutout collapse cast a shadow, prompting swift damage control: cleanup crews were deployed, and organizers vowed a thorough safety audit. No official statement from the CM's office had emerged by press time, but Housing Minister Khan, in a brief TV9 Kannada interaction, urged calm: "The event is for the people, by the people. Political games won't derail housing for the homeless."

Hubballi, long a BJP bastion in north Karnataka, has been a flashpoint for partisan clashes. Just weeks ago, on January 7, a separate BJP protest over unrelated issues escalated into controversy when a female party worker alleged police brutality, claiming her clothes were torn during an arrest – a charge vehemently denied by authorities, who accused her of self-inflicted drama. The National Commission for Women took suo motu notice, fueling a week-long standoff that saw BJP Mahila Morcha leaders, including state president Manjula, rally at the worker's residence. While unrelated to today's housing row, the episode underscores the city's hair-trigger political climate, where protests often blur into accusations of state overreach.

This latest skirmish arrives as Karnataka's Congress government navigates a bumpy second year, grappling with fiscal strains and intra-party jostling. The housing event, part of the Siddaramaiah administration's flagship Gruha Jyothi and PMAY extensions, aims to distribute keys to 20,000+ units – a tangible win amid criticisms of stalled infrastructure. Yet, for BJP, it's red meat for their 2028 assembly poll playbook: portraying Congress as ungrateful freeloaders on Modi's welfare wagon.