MUDA ‘scam’: CM Siddaramaiah calls Governor’s decision to grant prosecution sanction “illegal”; BJP demands his resignation

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 17 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly condemned the Governor’s decision to grant permission for his prosecution in connection with the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, by stating that the Governor is acting at the behest of the BJP and trying to overthrow the elected government in the state.

In an urgent cabinet meeting convened today, Siddaramaiah described the Governor’s move as “illegal”.

“The Governor’s permission for prosecution against me is against the Constitution. The Governor is supposed to act as a representative of the Constitution, but he is behaving like a representative of the Central Government and the BJP,” said Siddaramaiah.

He accused the Governor of acting like a “puppet” of the Central Government, suggesting that the decision was politically motivated.

“We have called an urgent cabinet meeting today. I thank DK Shivakumar and all my ministers. The Congress party also stands with me. Congress workers are also standing with me. Congress high command also stands with me. The leaders of the Congress High Command called me and said that we will stand with you. The decision taken by the Governor in the MUDA case is illegal. The entire cabinet condemns the Governor’s decision. The Governor should work as the representative of the Constitution but he is working as a representative of the Central Government. The Governor is acting as a BJP representative,” Siddaramaiah said at a press conference on Saturday.

The Chief Minister dismissed the notion of resignation, asserting, “Why should I resign and on what grounds? The Governor must resign instead.”

He reiterated that there is no substantial evidence in the MUDA case and that no investigation has been conducted so far.

“The Governor is acting illegally. The Governor’s permission for prosecution against me is against the constitution. They are trying to overthrow the elected government.

There are attempts to destabilize the government through the Governor and he is working as a puppet of Central government. This is happening against me and the state government because we work for the poor people. These attempts against me will not succeed. There is no record in the MUDA case, no investigation has been done so far. We haven’t discussed anything about writing to President to call back governor. Why should I resign and on what ground? According to me, the Governor must resign,” he said.

The remarks by the Karnataka CM come after the BJP accused Siddaramaiah’s wife of acquiring 14 sets which belonged to the Dalits, as part of the alleged MUDA scam exposed by a social activist.

“The Governor has permitted the prosecution legally. Siddaramaiah is a culprit in two cases. In the Valmiki Development Corporation, he himself admitted in the Vidhan Sabha that this corruption does not amount to Rs 187 crores but to Rs 89 crores. This money went to Telangana to fund the Congress party’s election expenses… Second is the MUDA scam in Mysuru, where his wife illegally occupied 14 sets. Ever since the acquisition in 1992, Siddaramaiah has been in a constitutional post… He should immediately resign and face the case,” Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje told ANI.

National President BJP Youth Wing Tejaswi Surya highlighted the irregularities in the allotment of the compensatory sites to Parvathi, Siddaramaiah’s wife, by the MUDA authority.

“Congress’ Shri @Siddaramaiah has lost integrity to continue in his position as Chief Minister. Despite the sanction accorded by the Hon’ble Governor to prosecute him for the MUDA scam involving him and his family members, it baffles us to witness his statements attacking the very institution,” Surya wrote in a post on X.

“He must immediately resign and make way for a fair probe and co-operate with the investigation,” he added.

Congress leader MB Patil accused the BJP of “bad politics” when the Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved the prosecution of CM Siddaramaiah.

“The Governor is merely a puppet of the central government, and the Raj Bhavan has become an extension of the BJP office. This move against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under the pretext of the MUDA scam is nothing more than a politically motivated conspiracy,” Patil asserted.

He highlighted that when activist TJ Abraham filed a complaint against the Chief Minister, the state’s top officials had provided enough information to the Raj Bhavan, which should have been sufficient to quash the allegations.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar today said that the state government would put all their weight behind Siddaramaiah.

“The entire party and the government stand with my chief minister. He has not done anything wrong. This is a politically motivated issue. So we are going to protest. We are going to court. We will take all legal remedies. Also, the entire state, our party workers will protest against the governor’s stance. No illegal activity has been done,” Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar told ANI.

Earlier, a complaint was filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).