BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday defended his party leaders, including ministers, who launched a scathing attack on Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
“They (Congress leaders) have spoken about what he (governor) has done. It is a constitutional post and we have respect for the governor. The governor should act as a representative of the President of India and not as a representative of the Union Government,” he said. Siddaramaiah was responding to a question on BJP launching a protest against Congress leaders for allegedly abusing the Governor during the protest against his action to accord permission to prosecute the CM in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites allocation case.
BJP is demanding action against Congress leaders, including ministers Zameer Ahmed Khan, Krishna Byregowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao, and MLC Ivan D’Souza for their remarks against the governor.
Defending his party leaders, Siddaramaiah said that the governor acted in a discriminatory manner in his case.
“The governor issued the show-cause notice on the day he received the petition and also accorded permission for prosecution, while not taking any action on the request for prosecution in many other cases, including those involving Union minister HD Kumaraswamy and former ministers Murugesh Nirani, Shashikala Jolle and G Janardhan Reddy,” Siddaramaiah said.
The Lokayukta police on November 23, 2023 wrote to the governor, seeking permission to prosecute Kumaraswamy in Sri Sai Venkateshwara Minerals mining case, but no action has been taken, he said. The Lokayukta police have again written to the governor seeking permission to prosecute Kumaraswamy, he said.
Kumaraswamy is facing allegations of granting a mining lease to the company for 550 acres in violation of laws when he was CM in 2007.
Earlier in the day, speaking at the Congress office in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said BJP is making false allegations against him because he is fighting against inequality and implementing guarantee schemes. He said BJP is against providing economic assistance to the poor, and the saffron party can never be with people from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and minorities.
