Beltangady MLA draws flak over school speech

BELTANGADY: A video showing Beltangady MLA Harish Poonja delivering a political speech at a government school in Punjalkatte, urging students not to support the Congress party and prompting them to raise slogans praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has triggered widespread debate on social media.

The incident took place during a programme organised at Karnataka Public School in Punjalkatte on November 14. The event was held to felicitate a private organisation that had contributed to the development of the institution.

The controversy comes after the proposed inauguration of a newly constructed auditorium at the school was cancelled. The auditorium was built at a cost of Rs 1 crore using state government funds.

Preparations had initially been made for the inauguration. However, a complaint was reportedly submitted to the Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer, alleging that the event violated official protocol and state government rules. Following the complaint, the inaugural programme was reportedly cancelled.

Addressing students and other attendees during the November 14 programme, Poonja criticised the Congress party, claiming that it had not contributed financially to the school’s development.

“The wretched Congress party in Beltangady has not given a single rupee to your school. They filed a complaint, harassed the teachers here and forced a change in the school’s programme. Do not trust such a wretched party. The country is under the leadership of Narendra Modi,” he said.

At the conclusion of his address, the MLA raised patriotic slogans and prompted students to raise slogans in praise of the Prime Minister.

The video of the speech has since circulated widely across social media platforms, drawing attention to the use of a government school platform for political messaging.

The incident has brought the MLA’s remarks and the circumstances surrounding the cancelled auditorium inauguration into public discussion.