Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reacting to the Governor sanctioning permission to prosecute him in the MUDA scam, said that the entire Cabinet and the high command of the Congress party is with him.
"The entire Cabinet, party high command, all MLAs, MLCs, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs are with me," he told reporters in Bengaluru.
He said that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's decision is "anti-Constitution and against law", adding that the sanction will be questioned in Court.
"I have done no wrong to resign," Siddaramaiah said, adding that this is a conspiracy by the BJP, JD(S) and others to dislodge a democratically elected government.
Resounding the CM's remarks, his deputy DK Shivakumar also said, "Karnataka Governor has sent an unconstitutional and anti-democratic letter to CM Siddaramaiah."
“The entire state, the Congress party be it legislators or cabinet stand behind Siddaramaiah. He is my CM, he will be the CM. We stand solidly behind him. The party will also have a proper programme to support his case. There is no case. They have made a case without a case,” Shivakumar said.
“We will fight it within the legal framework and in a legitimate manner. Besides this, our government is committed to fight it politically by going to the people, explaining to the people and with the support of people," the Deputy CM added.
Earlier in the day, Gehlot had granted permission to prosecute the CM in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 'scam'. His decision, as per a senior Raj Bhavan official, was "based on three petitions filed by -- T J Abraham, Pradeep Kumar and Snehamayi Krishna."
Governor Gehlot, while granting sanction to prosecute the CM, had said that it was very necessary to conduct a neutral, objective and non-partisan investigation.
Gehlot said that he is prima facie "satisfied" that the allegations and the supporting materials disclose commission of offences.
CONGRESS VS BJP AMID ROW OVER GOVERNOR'S DECISION
After the Governor gave nod to prosecute Siddaramaiah in the MUDA 'scam', Karnataka minister Parameshwara alleged that the Raj Bhavan has been "misused", claiming that there was pressure from the top on Gehlot.
"It is clear that there is pressure from the top. There was no clear information that the CM had given any direction or even given oral instruction," he told reporters.
Referring to the show cause notice that was served to Siddaramaiah on July 26 by the Governor, Parameshwara said, "We had categorically explained with minute details following the governor's show cause notice, how he (CM) has been framed... even if the Governor grants permission then we naturally feel that there was a pressure from the top."
He said that the Karnataka government has been saying from the beginning that the Governor's offense has been misused, adding that now the same has been "proved".
Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the BJP appointed governors are creating trouble for the non-BJP ruled states.
He, however, asserted that he had to see why Gehlot granted permission to prosecute the Karnataka CM.
"I have neither seen it nor know the details of what the notice is about. I have also not seen the reasons cited for permission. I cannot say now whether the notice is right or wrong," Kharge told reporters in Bengaluru.
The Congress president said, "One more thing is that everywhere the BJP appointed governors, be it in West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or wherever there is a non-BJP government (in the states), they are creating more trouble."
He said he would prefer to react after getting details of the case and consulting with the lawyers.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao dubbed the Governor's decision as a "low level conspiracy" of the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that the CM will emerge stronger after this move.
"The CM has emerged stronger. The more you go after him, he will grow stronger," he told reporters here.
The minister said that the BJP will be humiliated for conspiring to finish off the CM politically as it will have repercussions. "The unethical and low level political conspiracy of the BJP is now proven," Rao said.
He even said that the BJP's "Padayatra" from Bengaluru to Mysuru seeking Siddaramaiah's resignation for his alleged role in the MUDA scam was a "flop show".
Meanwhile, BJP state unit President BY Vijayendra hit said that Siddaramaiah's resignation would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation.
In a post on X, Vijayendra said that the Governor had exercised his constitutional powers to authorise legal action on the MUDA scam complaint against the CM.
"Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favoritism within the Congress government, it is crucial that the Chief Minister steps down," his post read.
"Resigning would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation, ensuring that the dignity of the Chief Minister's office is maintained and that justice is served," he added.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya noted that the party and many activists have been fighting for transparency and probity in public life, raising the issue of irregularities and illegalities in the allotment of the compensatory sites to CM's wife Parvati.
"In the last couple of months, the RTI activists had also written to the Governor seeking permission to launch prosecution against the CM. The allegations against the CM are so grave that the government of Karnataka, under the leadership of CM Siddaramaiah, appointed a single-person enquiry commission," Tejasvi said during a press conference.
He further said, "Later, the CM and Karnataka govt appointed another commission to inquire into these allegations... Now, the Congress argues that the action of the governor to provide sanction for prosecution is coloured politically, which is not right."
Explaining the allotment, Tejasvi said that 14 sites were allotted in the most upmarket and expensive area of Mysuru to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvati and noted that his son -- Yathindra -- was the MLA from Mysuru and a member of the MUDA council.
"He was part of the meeting when the decision was taken... When Siddaramaiah the Dy CM, the land was identified. When he was the CM, the son-in-law purchased the land through a gift deed and gave it to his wife. When Siddaramaiah was the CM again. His wife applied for compensation from MUDA... When the resolution is passed, the CM's son, who is the MLA, sits in the meeting and awards 14 sites in an upmarket locality in the name of his mother," Tejasvi explained.
Tejasvi said that this is in gist the modus operandi of the MUDA scam which is not very different from the National Herald case or the kind of allegations Robert Vadra is facing.
"The Congress leaders are saying that this is a governor versus government issue... This is a very serious issue of irregularity and corruption... The BJP has been demanding the resignation of CM," the BJP MP added.
"Now that the sanction has been provided, the criminal law has been set into motion... Independent probe investigating agencies that report to Siddaramaiah as the CM cannot be expected to function in a free and independent manner if they continue to report to him as the CM... He must take moral responsibility and forthwith resign from the position of the CM and make way for an impartial and independent probe," Tejasvi said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said that this is a due process of law, adding that CM Siddaramaiah should cooperate with the investigating agencies and judiciary. "He should step down as Chief Minister," Joshi told news agency ANI.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla termed the Congress government in Karnataka to be the "most corrupt government" in India's history, saying that "therefore it has made loot and jhoot (lie) as its primary agenda and they have perhaps looted every department of the government".
"The CM must resign and allow an impartial probe," Poonawalla added.
