The Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka on Saturday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot granted sanction for his prosecution in the MUDA alternative site scam.
The BJP state president BY Vijayendra said CM’s resignation would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation.
In a post on ‘X’, Vijayendra said the Governor has exercised his constitutional powers to authorise legal action on the MUDA scam complaint against the Chief Minister.
“Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favouritism within the Congress government, it is crucial that the Chief Minister steps down,” his post reads.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot today granted sanction for prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment ‘scam’.
“The Governor has granted sanction for prosecution against the Chief Minister. It is based on three petitions filed by — TJ Abraham, Pradeep Kumar and Snehamayi Krishna,” an senior official at the Raj Bhavan the media
The Governor’s secretariat has written to Pradeep Kumar SP, TJ Abraham and Snehamayi Krishna about the decision of the component authority on the request of sanction of prosecution against Siddaramaiah, under section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 218 of Bharithiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023 for the commission of alleged offences mentioned in the petitions.
According to official and Congress sources, the Chief Minister will legally fight the prosecution sanction accorded by the Governor.
Siddaramaiah has repeatedly said that the Congress government led by him is ready to fight legally and politically, in case the Governor rejects the Cabinet’s advice to withdraw the “showcause notice” to him, and grants permission for prosecution.
Based on a petition filed by advocate-activist TJ Abraham, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had issued a “showcause notice” on July 26 directing the Chief Minister to submit his reply to the allegations against him within seven days as to why permission for prosecution should not be granted against him.
The Karnataka government had on August 1 “strongly advised” the Governor to withdraw his “show-cause notice” to the Chief Minister and alleged “gross misuse of the Constitutional Office” of the Governor.
In the MUDA ‘scam’, it is alleged 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 BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA “scam” is of the magnitude of ₹4,000 crore to ₹5,000 crore.
The opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) held a week-long ‘padayatre’ earlier this month from Bengaluru to Mysuru demanding the resignation of Siddaramaiah in connection with the scam.
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