Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: With Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot sanctioning permission to investigate corruption charges against him, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday ruled out his resignation and said he had not done anything wrong.
“I haven't done anything wrong to resign,” Siddaramaiah said, slamming the BJP for using Raj Bhavan for politics. “It is they (BJP) who have wronged, having behaved illegally and unconstitutionally.”
On Saturday, Raj Bhavan conveyed to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh that Gehlot had accorded sanction to have Siddaramaiah investigated in connection with a site allotment scam at Mysuru.
The allegation is that Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi was allotted expensive plots in lieu of her land that was used by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for a layout. Notably, there are questions surrounding how she came to become the owner of the land on which a layout was formed.
Describing the Governor’s decision as “unconstitutional and illegal”, Siddaramaiah said the sanction accorded will be questioned in court. “We will wage a legal battle,” he said.
Siddaramaiah said he expected Gehlot to accord sanction. “This is a big conspiracy to remove an elected government,” he said. He also pointed out that Raj Bhavan is sitting on petitions seeking investigation sanction against Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and former BJP ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani and Janardhan reddy.
“After Jharkhand and Delhi, the BJP (union government) and JD(S) want to destabilise the government in Karnataka. We will fight against this,” Siddaramaiah said.
Siddaramaiah claimed that the Congress high command, the “entire” Cabinet and all party lawmakers were with him.
Resign now, BJP tells Siddu
BJP state president BY Vijayendra asked Siddaramaith to step down over corruption charges.
“The Governor has exercised his constitutional powers to authorise legal action on the MUDA scam complaint against the CM,” Vijayendra said.
“Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favouritism within the Congress government, it is crucial that the CM steps down. Resigning would allow for a transparent and unbiased investigation, ensuring that the dignity of the CM’s office is maintained and that justice is served,” Vijayendra said.