Professional thief's response: BJP on K'taka govt withdrawing permission to CBI to probe cases
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP Friday flayed the Congress over the Karnataka government's decision to withdraw the general consent to the CBI to probe cases in the state amid the MUDA land allotment row, describing it as a response of a "professional thief and a corrupt party".
Terming the Congress government's move a bid to evade a CBI probe into the MUDA "scam" allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said the decision depicted a "guilty mind" in itself.
"Thousands of crores have been usurped in the MUDA scam. After this, the Congress has done what is expected from any certified 'chor and lootera' (thief and robber). To evade the long hand of law, it has withdrawn the general consent given to the CBI to investigate in the state," he said.
"The Congress is behaving like a professional thief and a professional corrupt party. First to err and then go brazen about it, this is the attitude and approach of the Congress in Karnataka and other states where it is in power," Poonawalla added.
Opposition parties in Karnataka have alleged that the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has fraudulently allotted sites to people who lost land to other development projects, including Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.
Poonawalla alleged that Siddaramaiah was following the "same approach" of the Congress since his alleged involvement in the MUDA scam worth Rs 5,000 crore surfaced, and demanded his resignation as chief minister.
Amid the MUDA land allotment row, the Karnataka government on Thursday withdrew general consent given to CBI to investigate cases in the state as it alleged that the federal agency was "biased".
Announcing the decision after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said, "It is clear that the CBI or the Central government are not using their instrumentalities judiciously."
The move comes amid demands by the opposition BJP to hand over the MUDA site allotment case to the CBI.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
