Priyank Kharge: A statement by Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has sparked a major controversy. Opposition parties BJP and JDS are demanding his resignation. Meanwhile, news agency PTI has now admitted that his statement was misinterpreted and has issued a clarification, retracting its earlier post.
During the police constable recruitment exam in Vijayapura, some candidates alleged that the serial numbers on their OMR sheets did not match the numbers on the question paper. Following this, several students walked out of the examination center and demanded a re-examination.
Speaking to the media on this issue, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said that those demanding his resignation should first go on a hunger strike for 25 days and then face a lathi charge. He later clarified that he was referring to the BJP.
What did BJP allege?
The BJP alleged that Priyank Kharge mocked students protesting alleged irregularities in the police constable recruitment exam. BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition R. Ashok, condemned his statement and demanded his resignation.
What did Priyank Kharge say as the controversy escalated?
Seeing the controversy escalate, Priyank Kharge shared the same PTI tweet and wrote that his statement had been deliberately distorted. He wrote that the journalist had asked him, “What does he have to say about the BJP and the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R. Ashok, demanding his resignation over the Vijayapura incident.”
Kharge said his response was clear: if the BJP was willing to go on a 25-day hunger strike demanding his resignation, he would consider it. He clarified that his comments were only directed at the BJP’s political performance, not against the students.
What did PTI say?
Subsequently, news agency PTI posted on the social media platform X, acknowledging that Priyank Kharge’s statement had been misinterpreted. PTI wrote that Priyank Kharge’s statement had been misinterpreted and that the word “aspirants” had been mistakenly attributed to his statement in an earlier post on X, dated August 3, 2026. The agency retracted the post and stated that it deeply regretted the error.
What did Priyank Kharge say on PTI’s apology?
Following PTI’s apology, Priyank Kharge responded to X, writing that the damage has already been done. He questioned the benefit of an apology now, as this misinformation wasn’t limited to political parties, but was also spread by many independent content creators on social media.
He questioned who will now compensate for this loss and how many people can be held accountable for the misinformation that has already spread. He also said that responsible journalism in India is slowly becoming a myth.
What did KEA say about the irregularities in the exam?
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has dismissed allegations of exam irregularities. The authority clarified that the serial numbers on the OMR sheet and question paper do not necessarily match. According to the KEA, many students were confused due to misinformation circulating on social media. The authority stated that candidates were only required to enter the question paper series and version code on the OMR sheet. This recruitment exam was conducted to fill 1,453 civil police constable positions in the state.