"In the opinion of the Court, the Chief Minister, a leader of the proletariat, the bourgeois and of any citizen, should not fight shy of any investigation. There is lurking suspicion, looming large allegations, and the beneficiary of Rs 56 crores is the family of the Chief Minister – the petitioner. Judged from these spectrums and analysed from the aforesaid premises, the irresistible conclusion is, an investigation becomes necessary.”
The above scathing remarks by the Karnataka High Court indicate the challenges Chief Minister Siddaramaiah faces as he finds himself in the eye of a political and legal storm raised by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites allotment case.
The High Court and Special Court verdicts, and the First Information Report (FIR) registered subsequently by the Lokayukta police have dealt a severe blow to Siddaramaiah’s image. That could also impact political and legal battles that he would be up against in the days ahead. Undoubtedly, the champion of the backward classes and one of the most powerful regional satraps in Congress is facing the most difficult crisis of his four-decade-long political career. After Devraj Urs, he remains the only CM to complete a full five-year tenure (2013-2018) and is credited with implementing a slew of welfare measures.
The developments in the last week have put the CM and his party in a tight spot. It is now apparent that the MUDA case is no longer just a political fight as the Congress was projecting it to be. Congress’ allegations of misuse of Raj Bhavan will not be taken with the same spirit anymore. At least in this case.
With the registration of FIR under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, the Benami Transactions [Prohibition Act] 1988, and the Karnataka Land Grabbing Prohibition Act 2011, legal proceedings have been set in motion. Although the onus of proving the allegations will be on those making them since the person concerned in this case is holding a high public office and the charges are serious, the burden will also be on Siddaramaiah to come clean.
As things stand now, it appears that the CM is taking shelter under the legal leeway he has, and rightly so. He still has maneuverable space, technically, legally as well as morally. The Congress argues that the final word hasn’t been said yet in the case and it remains a political battle.
However, things seem to be getting difficult for the CM and his party. Most of their time and energy will be sapped by legal issues, battles of narratives, and responding to the opposition attacks that will only increase with every passing day. The apprehension is that the administration will take a beating.
While the opposition relentlessly tries to corner the CM and his party, Siddaramaiah seems to be using all available avenues to insulate himself from possible adversities. The government is stonewalling queries from the Raj Bhavan by directing its top officers not to respond to any communication from the Governor without the cabinet’s approval.
Although the government maintains that it has nothing to do with the CM’s case, the timing of the decision raises eyebrows. The Raj Bhavan had recently sought information about Justice Kempanna Commission’s Report into alleged irregularities in the de-notification of lands in Bengaluru during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as CM.
Ironically, the Lokayukta which is now probing the MUDA case and will submit its report to the court within three months, was defanged by the Siddaramaiah government in 2016. It was stripped of its powers to investigate cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act by creating an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) headed by a police officer. It had cast aspersions on the CM’s commitment to fight corruption. In 2022, after the High Court order, the ACB was abolished and the Lokayukta’s powers were restored.
For now, the CM seems to have got the party central leadership’s full backing in his fight to project himself as a victim of BJP’s political vendetta. But it is no longer just an issue for Siddaramaiah to fend off. It has drawn the top leadership of the Congress party to face uncomfortable questions. The MUDA developments have put Congress in discomfiture at the national level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also raised it during his recent election rally in Haryana.
With every passing day, the Congress’ troubles are mounting. Perhaps the party that prided its Karnataka Model of governance and guarantee schemes and extensively projected them during the 2023 Lok Sabha polls and assembly elections now finds it difficult to talk about it.
Any reference to the Karnataka Model would come with the baggage of defending the CM and the government facing serious allegations. Apart from the MUDA case, the Congress government is also facing serious allegations of misusing funds meant for the development of people from Scheduled Tribes.
The battle of narratives is not going to be easy for Congress. It is going to test the patience and the political acumen of not just Siddaramaiah, but also those of the Congress’ top leadership.
