Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday accused opposition parties of misusing the constitutional right to freedom of expression. He said that while criticism is an important part of democracy, it should be responsible and remain within acceptable limits.
His remarks came after the opposition BJP shared a post on social media targeting the state government. The post showed photographs of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and other cabinet ministers with the caption “scam lords.”
Shivakumar said such comments were disrespectful and crossed the line of healthy political criticism. He added that opposition parties have every right to question the government’s work and policies, but they should avoid using insulting or defamatory language.
He stressed that political debates should focus on facts and issues rather than personal attacks. According to him, spreading negative or misleading content on social media does not help the democratic process.
The Deputy Chief Minister urged political parties to maintain dignity in public discussions and said the government would continue to focus on development and governance despite such remarks.