A major controversy has erupted in Karnataka after verses from the Quran were recited at an official state government event in Hubballi, triggering outrage among citizens and opposition leaders who allege blatant misuse of public platforms for religious appeasement. The incident, which took place during a foundation stone-laying ceremony for ₹10 crore worth of civic development works under the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, has reignited debate on the Congress government’s growing pattern of selective secularism.
As per the Organiser, the event, officially organized by the Municipal Corporation, PWD, and HESCOM, began with a Quran recitation performed by a member of the Islamic community in the presence of Labour Minister Santosh Lad; senior government officers, including Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rudresh Ghali and Zilla Panchayat CEO Bhuvanesh Patil; and several Congress leaders. This was not a spontaneous act but a calculated show of appeasement, orchestrated at the cost of constitutional neutrality.
Opposition leaders have criticized the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for using state functions as platforms for religious symbolism and vote-bank politics. Deputy Leader of the Opposition Arvind Bellad condemned the incident, calling it “a shameful violation of government protocol and secular principles.” Bellad has written to the Chief Secretary demanding strict disciplinary action against officials who allowed the recitation. “This is not secularism; it is state-sponsored communalism in the name of inclusivity,” he said.
The controversy deepens as the same event also featured Congress party banners, photos of party leaders, and politically charged slogans, effectively converting what should have been a civic program into a Congress rally funded by taxpayers’ money. Observers note that such blending of religion and politics under the Congress regime is becoming a disturbing new normal in Karnataka. “The government seems determined to please one community even at official events,” remarked a political analyst from Hubballi.
Citizens have questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s glaring double standards, opposing traditional Hindu practices and symbols while tolerating, even encouraging, overt Islamic rituals in public functions. From refusing to wear the Mysuru Peta, a mark of Karnataka’s cultural heritage, to opposing temple rituals and Aarati ceremonies, the CM’s public postures have repeatedly alienated Hindu sentiments. Yet, his administration stood silent when Quran verses were recited at an official ceremony. “If Hindu rituals at government functions are called communal, how is this acceptable?” asked a local resident, echoing a sentiment widely shared across social media.
The Opposition has accused the Congress of systematically eroding and neglecting the Hindu community and normalizing the Islamization of state institutions through selective tolerance. They argue that the Hubballi incident is not an isolated one but part of a larger trend in which government neutrality is compromised to favor specific religious identities under the guise of inclusivity.
As public outrage mounts, calls are growing for an independent probe into the event and accountability from the officials who endorsed it. The incident has also sparked a larger discussion across Karnataka: if Hindu traditions are dismissed in the name of secularism, why is the open promotion of other religious acts tolerated by the same government?
