BJP, JD(S) trying to destabilise govt: Cong over opposition's graft charges against CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Aug 4: The Congress would unitedly fight against the BJP and JD(S)'s attempts to destabilise the Siddaramaiah government, the ruling party in Karnataka said on Sunday, backing its chief minister who is on the opposition's radar in MUDA and state-run Valmiki Corporation "scams".
"Everybody knows about Siddaramaiah's honesty. He is not a new chief minister here. Everybody knows about his career, where he started, where he is now, also his ideology and his background," Congress General Secretary in-charge of Organisation K C Venugopal told reporters here.
His comments came after he held a meeting with state ministers along with Congress General Secretary in-charge of the state Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar.
Shivakumar is also the party's Karanataka unit chief.
The meeting comes in the wake of Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot issuing a show cause notice to Siddaramaiah, which is seen as a precursor to giving sanction to his prosecution in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment "scam".
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The notice was issued on July 26 based on a plea filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham. The chief minister was directed to submit his reply within seven days.
Venugopal claimed the BJP and JD(S) are targeting the Congress dispensation and the chief minister as they are aware that the state government's guarantee schemes to address the concerns of the poor people will harm them politically.
"So they conspired and brought out some charges against Siddaramaiah and the Congress dispensation, thereby trying to destabilise the government. Unfortunately, the governor has become a tool in the BJP's conspiracy," he added.
The opposition BJP and JD(S) began a week-long 'Mysuru Chalo' foot march on Saturday against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites by MUDA to those who lost land to other development projects, including Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi. The two parties are demanding the chief minister's resignation.
The Karnataka government on Thursday "strongly advised" Gehlot to withdraw the show-cause notice and alleged "gross misuse of the constitutional office" of the governor.
The council of ministers held a meeting on Thursday and later alleged that a concerted effort was being made to destabilise a lawfully elected majority government in Karnataka for political gains.
Venugopal on Sunday said the ministers have been told to visit districts and assembly constituencies and explain to the people how the BJP was trying to "destabilise" the government and end the guarantee schemes.
"We are very much concerned about the poor people of the state. We will continue with the guarantee schemes. We are really proud of the government's implementation of guarantees. This is what we have discussed and decided today," he added.
The opposition parties have been demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation also over the Valmiki Corporation "scam" that came to light after its accounts superintendent Chandrashekhar P ended his life on May 26.
Chandrashekhar left a note claiming that Rs 187 crore was transferred from the corporation's bank account, of which Rs 88.62 crore was "illegally" moved to accounts of "well-known" IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, among others.
According to Congress sources, Venugopal asked the ministers at the meeting why the Congress government has not been able to effectively counter the BJP and JD(S)' narrative, despite the opposition "lacking" any clear evidence.
Venugopal and Surjewala are said to have asked the ministers to strongly stand behind the CM and defend him, while also effectively countering the opposition.
Indicating the possible scenario where the government may have to legally fight the governor if prosecution against the chief minister is sanctioned in connection with the MUDA "scam", they assured the high command's support, the sources added.
Noting the BJP's "history in sabotaging governments", Venugopal alleged the last JD(S)-Congress coalition dispensation was "dislodged" by a conspiracy hatched by the BJP's central leadership.
"They are trying and targeting the current Karnataka government the same way with a clear motive," the Congress leader said.
He alleged that when former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna's sexual abuse cases came to the fore, at that point itself there was a conspiracy against the Congress government. "The BJP and JD(S) want to save their leaders' children which is why they are targeting our elected government."
Venugopal said the BJP talking about corruption is the "biggest joke".
"How many cases (BJP state president) B Y Vijayendra has against him? How many cases are there against Prajwal Revanna? Now they are trying to project them as the most decent people in the country and attacking the chief minister who has built his career by being amidst the common people of the state," he said.
"We know their intention. They want to finish a person who is standing for the poor people of Karnataka... By creating a perception that Siddaramaiah is corrupt, their intention is to target him and our guarantee schemes," he said.
At the meeting with the state ministers, Venugopal and Surjewala asked them to focus on performance, amid indications about the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle in the next couple of months, sources said.
Responding to a question, Venugopal said today's discussion was not about the performance of the ministers.
About the Union budget, he said, "Union Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) was elected (to Rajya Sabha) from Karnataka. Total discrimination. No BJP member is raising it in Parliament. It is a very sorry state of affairs."
Instead of coming forward to support the state, the BJP is trying to destabilise the government, he alleged. "But times have changed. The Central government is not as strong as earlier. Those trying such things (destabilising) have to think about it."
"The Congress is very confident. We will fight it legally, and such destabilising attempts will be explained to the people of the state with great vigour," Venugopal added.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
