BJP's revenge politics: Siddaramaiah after HC setback in MUDA case

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for “revenge politics” after the High Court dismissed his plea challenging the investigation against him in an alleged land scam case. Siddaramaih alleged that it is just a political ploy by the BJP and JDS to undermine his government's pro-poor initiatives. "BJP and JDS have resorted to political retaliation against me because I am pro-poor and fighting for social justice. This is a fight against the revenge politics of Narendra Modi-led BJP government" He noted the court's outright rejection of the Governor's order under Section 218 and expressed confidence that the truth would emerge soon, asserting, "The investigation under 17A will be cancelled." Siddaramaiah pointed out that complainant in his complaint sought permission for investigation and prosecution under Section 218 BNSS, 17A and 19 PC Act. However, the governor had initially refused permission to prosecute as per 19 PC Act".

Karnataka CM releases a press statement - "The MUDA case is just a sham. The main objective of BJP and JD(S) is to stop our government's schemes which favor the poor and the oppressed...The leaders who are asking for my resignation are the same ones who have opposed the schemes…

— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2024

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry, urging Siddaramaiah to step down as the Chief Minister of the state. "There are more than 500-1000 sites allocated to other people also illegally. Most of them have happened in the last few months and hence they have to be investigated. Henceforth, the Chief Minister of Karnataka has to resign for the investigation to be conducted impartially," Joshi said. The Dharwad BJP MP further said that the Karnataka High Court's ruling pertaining to the MUDA scam stands as an "eye opener" for the current Congress government in power in Karnataka.
BJP leader and former union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says, "In this new India, politicians who used to think that they could loot, scam and get away with these scams, are realising that it is not possible. CM Siddaramaiah has been involved in the MUDA scam. He gifted extensive amount of land to his family. This is the same for Kharge's family and for many other Congress leaders in Karnataka...But this is new India. The long arm of the law will inevitably catch those who are trying to loot assets and resources meant for the people.
Reacting to the judgement, Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said, "BJP has been relentlessly fighting against the corrupt Congress government. We have been fighting against the corrupt CM Siddaramaiah...When BJP took up the issue of MUDA scam...HC said that the petition challenged by the CM has been dismissed. The judge has observed that all are equal before the law. At this juncture I demand CM Siddaramiah ji to resign.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that there is no question of resignation and this is "political conspiracy" by the BJP. Speaking to reporters, DK Shivakumar said, "He has not done anything wrong. He is not involved with any scam. This is a political conspiracy by the BJP to all of us, to all the opposition leaders of the country...so there is no question of why Chief Minister done anything wrong, they are creating problem. We stand by him, we support him. He has been doing a good work for the country, party and state."
Earliar,the Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition filed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah challenging the Governor’s sanction to prosecute him in the MUDA land allotment case. The single judge bench of Justice M. Nagaprasanna pronounced that the governor can make an independent decision and that his order to prosecute CM does not suffer from non-application of mind. On August 16, Governor Thawarchand Gehlot sanctioned proceedings against the CM under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Siddaramaiah had challenged the order on August 19. The anti-corruption activists T J Abharam, Snehamayi Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar had sought permission from the Governor to begin prosecution, alleging that CM Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi received 14 housing sites from MUDA in exchange for a 3.16-acre plot of land that the MUDA land development agency in Mysuru had acquired in 2021. They alleged that this resulted in a loss of 55.80 crore rupees to the state exchequer.

(State Correspondent)