Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot. (PTI file photo)
Siddaramaiah has vowed to legally challenge the sanctions, denying any wrongdoing and claiming the measures are a conspiracy aimed at destabilising the elected government.
Karnataka Governor Thawalkhand Gehlot on Saturday authorised prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment scam.
The prosecution has been sanctioned under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 218 of the Indian Corruption Act, 2023.
Following this, a special state cabinet meeting has been scheduled for 5 pm today. Both government and Congress officials said Siddaramaiah would legally challenge the governor’s decision to charge him.
Siddaramaiah denounced the decision as a “conspiracy”.
Following the governor’s decision, Siddaramaiah vowed to legally challenge the sanctions, denied any wrongdoing and alleged the move was a conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the elected government.
Speaking at a press conference, the Karnataka Chief Minister said an emergency cabinet meeting had been called today. “The Governor should be working as a representative of the Constitution but the Governor is working as a representative of the Central government. The Governor is acting as a representative of the BJP,” he alleged.
“A grand conspiracy is being hatched to weaken the government. All the BJP and JD(S) leaders in the state are complicit in this plan. Just like they did in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Delhi, they are now trying to execute the plan in Karnataka too. We will not allow this!” Siddaramaiah said in a post on X.
Randeep Surjewala denounces ‘political vendetta’
Indian National Congress general secretary and Karnataka state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned it as a “political vendetta” orchestrated by the Modi government. He accused the governor of acting on a political conspiracy and described the decision as a “brazen unconstitutional act.”
“In a brazen political conspiracy hatched in the corridors of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Home Ministry in Delhi against the people and elected government of Karnataka, the ‘puppet Governor of Karnataka’, at the mercy of his political masters, has gone ahead with authorising prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,” Surjewala said in a statement.
‘Indian National Congress’ legacy of corruption continues’: Nadda
In a social media post on X, Union Minister and BJP leader Nadda accused the BJP leader of a long-standing corruption scandal. “From the National Herald to the MUDA scam in Karnataka, the BJP leader’s history of corruption is well known. They have betrayed the trust of the people time and again for their own personal gain,” Nadda wrote.
The history of corruption of the BJP continues! From the National Herald to the MUDA scam in Karnataka, the history of corruption of the BJP is well documented. Time and again, they have betrayed the trust of the people for their own personal gains.
Instead of calling that decision…
— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) August 17, 2024
Nadda also criticised the Congress for its hypocrisy and suggested that the party should examine its own actions instead of condemning the decision as “unconstitutional”.
“The Indian National Congress positions itself as the protector of Dalits and minorities, yet one of its leaders is involved in taking land away from a Dalit family. This is another example of the Indian National Congress’ hypocrisy and family-centric politics,” he added.
BJP demands Siddaramaiah’s resignation
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded Siddaramaiah’s resignation to ensure a fair investigation into his alleged involvement in the MUDA land allotment scam.
Addressing a press conference, BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Tejasvi Surya denied the Congress’ allegations that the Karnataka Governor’s decision was politically motivated. They alleged that the case involves serious corruption allegations against Siddaramaiah and his family.
BJP MP Rahul Singh Siroya said the allegations were a personal matter and should be dealt with by Siddaramaiah individually and not through state agencies.
“#MUDAScam is a purely personal allegation against Siddaramaiah, his wife and family. It is about private land owned by them. He should have fought it as an individual and not as the Chief Minister and involved the state machinery. The Chief Minister should know the difference,” Siroya said in his X post.
Congressional members protest against governor’s sanctions
Indian National Congress activists held large-scale protests across the state of Karnataka, demanding the removal of Governor Gehlot and showing support for Siddaramaiah. Protesters chanted slogans against Governor Gehlot, burned effigies of the governor and held up placards that read, “Remove Governor, Save the State.”
The protests also included demonstrations in Bengaluru, Mysore and other cities in the state, with Congress supporters criticising the governor and the BJP’s actions.
(With inputs from PTI)
