The campaign against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the allotment of 14 sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to his wife has now reached a decisive stage.
With Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot permitting the prosecution of Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, the Congress government in Karnataka is facing one of its biggest crises since it stormed back to power in 2023 with an absolute majority of 136 seats in the 220-member assembly.
Although the BJP-JDS launched a massive campaign, including Bengaluru-Mysuru Padayatra over the issue, the trouble for the CM and Congress government came from petitions filed by TJ Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar SP, who knocked on the doors of Raj Bhavan seeking permission to prosecute the CM.
As expected, the Governor’s action came under fire from Congress which is accusing BJP of using the Raj Bhavan to undermine the democratically elected government. All the ministers slammed the Governor, while some even demanded the Centre to recall him. Indicating the line Congress is taking, Minister Priyank Kharge stated: “The Constitutional head of the state is sparking a constitutional crisis to appease his political masters.”
The Congress government would certainly explore all options available to defend the CM, but the BJP has upped the ante by demanding that the CM resign immediately to facilitate a fair probe into the case. The state government had an inkling of the things to come as the Governor had issued a strongly worded notice to the CM on the day he had received a petition from Abraham. “On perusal of the request, it is seen that the allegations against you are of serious nature and prima facie seems plausible…,” the notice issued on July 26 read.
The government had questioned the legality of the notice and the Council of Ministers (CoM) had advised the Governor to withdraw it and reject the petition. The CM had 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.
The Governor seemed to have been convinced about the facts in the petitions, rather than the advice of the council of ministers.
On August 17, while permitting the prosecution, the Governor stated, “Upon perusal of the petition along with the materials in support of the allegations in the petitions and subsequent reply of Sri Siddaramaiah and the advice of the state cabinet along with legal opinion, it seems to me that there are two versions in relation to the same set of facts. It is very necessary that a neutral, objective and non-partisan investigation should be conducted. I am prima facie satisfied that the allegations and the supporting materials disclose the commission of offences.”
While the government will explore the legal options and take the issue to the people by launching a blitzkrieg against the BJP central leadership, a lot would depend on the immediate outcome on the measures to be taken by the petitioners. If they manage to convince the courts of the need for a probe, it would become difficult for Siddaramaiah to continue in the top post. Unlike the regional parties that can defend the CMs facing serious charges, even being in jail and governing the state, Congress may be compelled to explore other options. Beyond a point, it may become untenable for the party to defend the CM. That situation may not arise if Congress manages to win a legal battle in the initial stages before the probe is ordered by the court based on the petitions.
On his part, the CM defended his action in the MUDA issue and termed the allegations against him as an attempt to tarnish his unblemished political career spanning over four decades. All along, he has maintained it to be a simple case of compensation being given in the form of sites to his wife, whose lands were acquired by the MUDA for developing a layout. Once the pressure started mounting, the government constituted a judicial commission headed by a retired judge to look into it. The move was questioned by the opposition, which demanded a CBI probe and the CM’s resignation. In the meanwhile, activists approached Raj Bhavan making matters worse for the CM.
While Congress would anticipate all possible scenarios to defend the CM and take appropriate measures, the issue will now immediately spark the conflict between the government and the Raj Bhavan, which is seen in many states governed by non-NDA parties.