BENGALURU: Things seem to be getting trickier for the Congress government in Karnataka, specifically for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Governor’s “show cause” notice to the CM over alleged irregularities in the allotment of housing sites to his wife has rattled the state administration. It has put the government on thin ice.
The government has gone on a counter-offensive to take on the Raj Bhavan and prepare for a legal battle, while its leaders, including the CM and ministers, are going ballistic against the Union Government for allegedly trying to destabilise the democratically elected government.
While the state government was trying to thwart the opposition’s sustained campaign and bracing itself for further action from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the ST Development Corporation scam, the notice from the Raj Bhavan over the alleged wrongdoing in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotments came as a shocker.
Earlier this week, Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot directed the CM to respond to the allegations within seven days. The notice was issued after social activist TJ Abraham petitioned the Governor seeking permission to prosecute the CM.
The strongly worded notice was issued within hours of Raj Bhavan receiving the petition on July 26. “On perusal of the request, it is seen that the allegations against you are of serious nature and prima facie seems plausible….” the notice read.
The government was livid. It raised several questions over the legality of the notice and the manner in which it was issued. The Council of Ministers (CoM) met and resolved to advise the Governor to withdraw the notice and reject the petition.
As a clear indication that the government is preparing for a long-drawn legal battle against Raj Bhavan, the CM recused himself from attending the meeting of the CoM as the issue involved him and his family. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. If the governor gives consent to prosecute the CM, the government will go to court.
The conflict between the government and the Raj Bhavan seems imminent. That is already seen in many states governed by non-NDA parties, the issues being different.
The confrontation brewing in Karnataka, may yet again open a debate on larger issues such as the boundaries of the institution of the governor and the elected government, and the relationship between these two important institutions. It will also put the spotlight on several legal and constitutional issues. Can the governor give such a notice to the CM? If the CoM advises him to withdraw the notice, is it mandatory for the governor to act on it? Can he reject the advice from the CoM?
Congress is set to wage an all-out battle to protect its CM and the government. The party cannot afford to let its “Karnataka Model” fail. The party’s victory in the 2023 assembly polls played a big role in boosting the party’s morale elsewhere in India and helped put up a decent performance — compared to the two previous Lok Sabha polls — in the 2024 elections. Any setback to that model will not bode well for the party’s prospects and will provide ammo to the opposition to deride the party.
Despite facing severe headwinds, the government and the party are trying to play on the front foot. It launched the “Janandolana” campaign, a series of public meetings against the Union Government and BJP along the Bengaluru-Mysuru route on Friday, a day before BJP-JDS’ eight-day padayatra against the state government.
Nothing much is expected from these public meetings, which most likely be platforms for the oft-repeated tirades against the Union Government and assertions to expose the wrongdoings during the previous governments under BJP and JD(S). To an extent, it may help DyCM and state Congress president DK Shivakumar to regain the ground he lost during the recent Lok Sabha polls. His brother DK Suresh lost in Bengaluru Rural as BJP-JD(S) won all seats in Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region, barring Hassan and Chamarajanagar.
On its part, the BJP and JD(S) also face an equally daunting challenge. Union Minister and senior JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s outburst against the BJP state leadership indicated that everything was not hunky-dory with the alliance. The former CM had questioned the timing of the padayatra as people were suffering due to heavy rain, besides the involvement in the protest march of a BJP leader who was allegedly responsible for the distributing pen drives of sleaze videos alleged to be involving former JD(S) MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna.
Top BJP leaders persuaded JD(S) to join the padayatra, but it has thrown up signs of differences between the alliance partners. JD(S) sent out a message that Old Mysuru is its bastion and BJP cannot take it for granted.
The Bengaluru-Mysuru padayatra that will conclude on Saturday is crucial for BJP state president BY Vijayendra, whose leadership is being openly questioned by the senior leaders within his party. Its success will help to reassert his leadership and put Congress on the mat in CM and DyCM’s home turf. Failure to drive home the message can prove counterproductive and give Congress the much-needed boost to take on the BJP and its Union Government.
Certainly, the developments in the coming week will be crucial for BJP leadership, and more so for CM Siddaramaiah.