Bengaluru, August 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Karnataka Home, IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday defended the suspension of two government school teachers in Yadgir district over their alleged participation in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march, saying the Education Department was empowered to initiate disciplinary action under applicable service rules.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Kharge said the decision to take action rested with the Education Department if it found the teachers’ participation warranted disciplinary proceedings.
“That’s left to the Education Department. If someone is participating in some event and the department sees it is fit to take action, they will initiate action. Why should our employees take part in the programme of an unregistered organisation?” he said.
The suspension orders were issued by the Deputy Director of the Department of School Education in Yadgir, nearly 10 months after the teachers allegedly participated in an RSS route march held on October 10, 2025.
The suspended teachers are Annasaheb Deshmukh, headmaster of the Government Junior Primary School in Kuppi, Surapura, and Gururaja Joshi, a teacher at the Government Girls Higher Primary School in Hunasagi, also in Surapura taluk.
According to the suspension order, both were found to have participated in the RSS event while serving as government employees. The proceedings followed a complaint by Jummanna Gudimani, Yadgir district president of the Ambedkar Swabhimani Sene.
Gudimani had reportedly approached then Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister and Kalaburagi district in-charge Minister Priyank Kharge, seeking action against the teachers.
The department cited service rules under which government employees are prohibited from being members of political parties or organisations that directly or indirectly engage in political activities. It held that the teachers’ participation in the route march amounted to a violation of applicable rules and also referred to an alleged lapse in their official duties.
The Education Department had first issued notices seeking explanations from the two teachers. Following their responses and subsequent proceedings, suspension orders were issued.
The action, coming months after the alleged participation, has triggered a political debate over the involvement of government employees in activities associated with organisations considered to have political affiliations.
Kharge has previously been involved in controversies over his criticism of the RSS, including remarks calling on the organisation to provide its accounts and register as an organisation.
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