August 17th 2024.
In a surprising turn of events, the Governor of Karnataka, Thaawarchand Gehlot, granted permission for the prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday. This decision was related to the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority site allotment scam, which has caused quite a stir in the state and given a major setback to the Congress government that has been in power for 15 months.
The news was met with strong reactions from Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief. They both denounced the Governor's action and promised to fight back both politically and legally. The Governor gave his consent under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita for the alleged offences mentioned in the petitions submitted by activists Pradeep Kumar S P, T J Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna. This move is expected to pave the way for investigating agencies to launch a probe into the allegations against the Chief Minister.
The MUDA 'scam' centers around the allegation that Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, was allotted compensatory sites in a posh area of Mysuru, which had a higher property value compared to her original land that was acquired by MUDA. Under a 50:50 scheme, MUDA had given Parvathi 50% of the developed land in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, where a residential layout was developed. However, the opposition and some activists have claimed that Parvathi did not have a legal title to the land. The BJP has even estimated the scam to be worth a staggering 4,000 to 5,000 crore rupees.
Shivakumar criticized the Governor's decision, calling it unconstitutional and undemocratic. He assured that the entire party and government stand firmly behind Siddaramaiah and dismissed the BJP's demand for his resignation. He also added that the INDIA bloc has expressed their support for the Chief Minister and that they will fight back against the false allegations both legally and politically. Siddaramaiah himself ruled out the possibility of stepping down, stating that he has done nothing wrong and will fight the decision in court.
The Congress President, M Mallikarjun Kharge, accused the BJP-appointed Governors of creating trouble for non-BJP-ruled states. He also mentioned that he would look into the reasons behind Gehlot's decision to grant permission for the prosecution. In response to the Governor's move, Congress workers and supporters of Siddaramaiah staged protests in several parts of the state, demanding the removal of the Governor. They burned effigies and held up signs saying "Remove Governor, Save State."
Siddaramaiah's cabinet colleagues also came to his defense and criticized the Governor's decision. On the other hand, the opposition BJP, which has been protesting against Siddaramaiah for weeks, reiterated their demand for his resignation. They stated that his resignation would allow for a transparent and unbiased investigation. The Governor, while granting permission, emphasized the need for a fair and impartial investigation and stated that he is satisfied with the evidence presented against Siddaramaiah.
Gehlot also called the Council of Ministers' decision to advise him to withdraw the show-cause notice to the Chief Minister and reject the application seeking prosecution sanction as "irrational." The Governor had issued the notice after receiving a petition from Abraham and had given Siddaramaiah seven days to respond. However, the Karnataka government advised him to withdraw the notice, alleging a "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office." The Congress government had also set up an inquiry commission to look into the MUDA scam.
In the midst of all this, one of the complainants, Pradeep Kumar, filed a caveat in the Karnataka High Court after the prosecution sanction was granted. Siddaramaiah is expected to approach the High Court to challenge the Governor's decision, and with the caveat in place, the court will need to hear the arguments of the original complainant before making any conclusions. This is a developing story, and the people of Karnataka are eagerly waiting to see how it unfolds.
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