Karnataka Governor has accorded sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA case creating a face-off with Congress government.
Published Aug 17, 2024 | 4:33 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 17, 2024 | 4:33 PM
CM Siddaramaiah. (Supplied)
Following Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot permitting to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA land allotment case, he ruled out that resignation and said he had done no wrong to step down.
Terming Governor’s decision as “anti-Constitution and against law”, he said, it will be questioned in court and he will battle it out legally.
“It is a big conspiracy to dislodge the elected government. They (BJP) have done this in several states including Delhi, and Jharkhand. A conspiracy has been designed to destabilise the elected government in Karnataka also. The Central government, BJP, JD(S) and others are involved in this conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru.
“High command (of Congress) is with me, the entire Cabinet and the government is with me. All Congress MLAs, MLCs, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members are with me….I have done no wrong to resign,” he asserted.
Accusing the opposition of wrongdoings and behaving illegally and anti-Constitutionally, he further said, “They are using Raj Bhavan as a political pawn. The Governor is functioning like a puppet in the hands of the Central government.”
#Karnataka Chief Minister @siddaramaiah strongly criticized the Governor’s decision to grant prosecution sanction against him, calling it unconstitutional and outside the Governor’s jurisdiction. He vowed to challenge the decision legally, labelling it as an illegal sanction… pic.twitter.com/Hfg6qzddLG
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) August 17, 2024
Stating that such a decision by the Governor was expected, Siddaramaiah said, “We had expected this, I too had expected this. When the Governor on July 26, the very day he received the petition, issued me a show cause notice. What does it mean?”
He said, “There has been a petition seeking sanction for prosecution against JD(S) leader (now Union Minister) H D Kumaraswamy since November, also there are petitions against former BJP Ministers Shahshikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and Janardhana Reddy. Leaving all of them, if the notice was issued to me, what does it mean?”
“In November, sanction was sought against Kumaraswamy (also former CM) by Lokayukta in an alleged case regarding issue of mining licences, after an inquiry. He was not issued a notice. What does it mean — that the notice is issued to me (by the Governor)? It is a big conspiracy,” he added.
However, from Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge to the Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, the Congress leaders have rallied behind the chief minister in his support.
The Opposition in the state, BJP however demanded that Siddaramaiah resign as the chief minister of the state.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra took to X, to demand Siddaramaiah’ resignation, “Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favouritism within the Congress government, the Chief Minister must step down. Resigning would allow for a transparent and unbiased investigation, ensuring that the dignity of the Chief Minister’s office is maintained and that justice is served.”
The Governor has exercised his constitutional powers to authorize legal action on the MUDA scam complaint against the Chief Minister.
Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favoritism within the Congress government, it is crucial that the Chief… pic.twitter.com/MyPymDBO44
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) August 17, 2024
BJP MPs Sambit Patra and Tejasvi Surya, too at a press conference in New Delhi, rejected the Congress’ allegation that Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s decision was motivated by politics and claimed that it was a serious case of corruption involving Siddaramaiah and his family.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar called the permission granted by the Governor as, “unconstitutional and undemocratic.”
He asserted that the entire government is standing solidly by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and he will continue to hold the post.
“The Governor has sent an unconstitutional and anti-democratic letter (to the Chief Minister) through his secretary,” Shivakumar said addressing a press conference in Bengaluru.
The Deputy CM was referring to the letter sent to Siddaramaiah and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh informing them that permission has been granted to prosecute the Chief Minister.
“The entire state, the Congress party be it legislators or cabinet stands behind Siddaramaiah. He is my CM, he will be the CM. We stand solidly behind him. The party will also have a proper programme to support his case. There is no case. They have made a case without a case,” Shivakumar said.
“We will fight it within the legal framework and in a legitimate manner. Besides this, our government is committed to fight it politically by going to the people, explaining to the people and with the support of people.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister Parameshwara claimed that there was pressure from the top on Governor Gehlot, which is now proved.
Parameshwara said, “It is clear that there is pressure from the top. There was no clear information that the CM had given any direction or even given oral instruction.”
“We had categorically explained with minute details following the governor’s showcause notice, how he (CM) has been framed… even if the Governor grants permission then we naturally feel that there was a pressure from the top,” he alleged.
“We have been saying this from the beginning that the office of the Governor has been misused. Now it’s proved.”
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao dubbed the move as ‘low level conspiracy’ of the BJP,
“The CM has emerged stronger. The more you go after him, he will grow stronger,” he told reporters in Mangaluru.
The Minister said the BJP will be humiliated for conspiring to finish off Siddaramaiah politically as it will have repercussions.
Minister HK Patil noting that “This decision of the Governor is illegal, immoral and politically motivated,” reiterated that they will fight it legally. “This type of decision will weaken democracy and the federal system.”
IT Minister Priyank Kharge claimed that the MUDA scam has been orchestrated by the BJP in centre.
“Raj Bhavan is being misused as the BJP’s tool to undermine a democratically elected government. The Constitutional head of the State is sparking a constitutional crisis to appease his political masters. The Central Government may throw its full weight behind this, but we stand firm with the Constitution on our side.”
The Karnataka Governor’s decision to sanction the prosecution of CM @siddaramaiah in the MUDA case has been orchestrated by the Central Government.
Raj Bhavan is being misused as the BJP’s tool to undermine a democratically elected government. The Constitutional head of the…
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) August 17, 2024
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday, 17 August, said the BJP-appointed governors are creating trouble for the non-BJP-ruled states. He, however, maintained that he had to see why Gehlot granted permission to prosecute the Karnataka CM.
“I have neither seen it nor know the details of what the notice is about. I have also not seen the reasons cited for permission and cannot say now whether the notice is right or wrong,” Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Congress president said, “One more thing is that everywhere the BJP appointed governors, be it in West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or wherever there is a non-BJP government (in the states), they are creating more trouble.”
He said he would prefer to react after getting details of the case and consulting with the lawyers.
(With PTI inputs)
