Congress high command dialled Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday after Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accorded sanction to prosecute him in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam.
Sources confirmed that AICC General Secretaries Randeep Singh Surjewala and K.C. Venugopal made personal calls to CM Siddaramaiah and assured him that the high command stands with him at this stage. They comforted CM Siddaramaiah and asked him to be calm and not to lose courage at the moment of difficulty. They also assured him that they would tackle the sanction order legally.
The high command further gave him directions to launch a state-wide agitation against the decision of the Governor, the sources confirmed.
Meanwhile, members of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Forum took to the streets in Bengaluru against the decision to give consent for prosecution against CM Siddaramaiah. The members held posters dubbing Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot as against the interest of backward classes and also burnt his posters. They also torched tyres in the protest.
On the other hand, Pradeep Kumar S.P, one of the petitioners, who complained to the Governor seeking prosecution, filed a caveat petition on Saturday before the Karnataka High Court submitting prayers not to pass any order issuing interim stay order in connection with the decision of the consent for prosecution without hearing him out.
Pradeep stated that CM Siddaramaiah was the Dy CM and in-charge minister of Mysuru when the scam took place.
"CM Siddaramaiah is a member of the MUDA. He has personal knowledge and complete information about the procedures and very cleverly got the land registered in the names of his brother-in-law first and then to the name of his wife. The registration process is done in the government guest house. The RTC in 2004 clearly says the allotted land was not farmland and already it was developed," he said.
"If CM Siddaramaiah has any morality, who claimed that he had no black mark in his entire career and was champion of Dalits and backwards, ended up taking away the land of a Dalit. How can he become a leader of backward classes?" Pradeep Kumar asked.
He further slammed the cabinet's decision to advise the Governor on rejecting the prosecution demand as unconstitutional. The matter is related to personal allegations against CM Siddaramaiah. What has the cabinet to do with the personal issue? He stated that the investigation against CM Siddaramaiah would probably be conducted by the Mysuru Lokayukta.
(With inputs from IANS)
