Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has found himself at the center of a political storm. The Chief Minister is facing prosecution sanctions over allegations of improper land allocations in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case. The Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot, has sanctioned the prosecution, stating that his order was necessary to conduct a neutral, objective, and non-partisan investigation. He added that he was prima facie satisfied that the alleged infractions were committed.
The controversy has sparked a heated exchange between the Chief Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has demanded Siddaramaiah's resignation, drawing parallels with the case of former CM B.S. Yediyurappa, who resigned from his post following the consent to prosecute him by late Governor Hansraj Bharadwaj in 2011. However, Siddaramaiah has refused to resign, arguing that the circumstances of his case are starkly different from those of Yediyurappa's.
In a detailed Facebook post, Siddaramaiah lashed out at the BJP, particularly at senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in Assembly R. Ashoka. He accused Ashoka of ignorance, stating, Mr. Ashoka, before making such reckless statements, please verify the facts.
Siddaramaiah pointed out that Yediyurappa did not resign immediately after Bharadwaj granted permission for prosecution in connection with the Rachenahalli de-notification scandal in 2011. Instead, Yediyurappa resigned months later, after the Lokayukta, then led by Justice Santosh Hegde, submitted its investigation report on illegal mining, which had caused a significant financial loss to the state treasury.
Siddaramaiah also highlighted that Bharadwaj had granted permission for the investigation into not one, but 15 de-notification scams. He further stated that the Lokayukta had substantiated all the allegations and submitted a charge sheet, thus validating Bharadwaj's decision for prosecution. Justice Santosh Hegde himself had affirmed that Bharadwaj's decision was justified.
The Chief Minister also took a swipe at the BJP for their support of Governor Gehlot, reminding them of their derogatory comments about Governor Bharadwaj in 2011. He accused the BJP of hypocrisy, stating, BJP leaders questioning the peaceful protest by our party workers seem to have also forgotten that they had called for a Karnataka bandh in 2011 in opposition to the actions of the then-Governor."
The MUDA land scam case involves allegations that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been acquired by the MUDA. The opposition and some activists have claimed that Parvathi had no legal title over 3.16 acres of land.
In response to the Governor's prosecution sanction, Siddaramaiah has challenged the order in the Karnataka High Court. He has vowed to fight the allegations both legally and politically, asserting that these are false allegations. He has also accused the Governor of acting as a representative of the Central Government and the BJP, rather than the Constitution.
The controversy has sparked protests across the state, with Congress workers and supporters of Siddaramaiah staging demonstrations in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya, and several other parts of Karnataka. They have expressed solidarity with the Chief Minister, alleging that the move is a political conspiracy to destabilize the elected government. They have also accused the Governor of acting as a representative of the Central Government and the BJP, rather than the Constitution.
The political drama in Karnataka continues to unfold with the Chief Minister refusing to resign amid prosecution sanctions. Siddaramaiah's strong defense and the subsequent protests by his supporters indicate a tough political battle ahead. As the Chief Minister challenges the prosecution sanction in court, the coming days are likely to witness more developments in this high-stakes political controversy.
