Siddaramaiah dares PM Modi to name one BJP leader in Karnataka without corruption charges
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has issued an open challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to engage in a direct discussion on corruption. This comes in response to allegations made by the Prime Minister during a rally, where he accused Siddaramaiah of involvement in a land scam related to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Siddaramaiah, in a strongly worded response, accused the BJP of orchestrating a conspiracy against him and questioned PM Modi's right to speak on corruption. He pointed out that several BJP leaders in Karnataka have faced corruption charges, yet remain in the party without any repercussions. "Prime Minister @NarendraModi, who is accused by his own party leaders of auctioning off the Chief Minister's post for Rs 2,500 crore, has no moral right to speak about corruption!" Siddaramaiah wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
The controversy began after PM Modi, during a rally in Sonipat, Haryana, brought up the MUDA scam and accused the Congress of misappropriating funds meant for Dalits, calling the party "the most corrupt in the nation." The Karnataka High Court had recently upheld investigation orders into the scam, which prompted Modi's remarks.
In response, Siddaramaiah criticized the BJP's approach to corruption, accusing the party of practicing "washing machine politics," where opposition leaders facing corruption charges are allegedly cleansed of their past once they join the BJP. "Mr. Modi, I'm glad you're finally addressing corruption. But the people of Karnataka know who the real culprits are. If you're ready for a direct debate, I'm always ready," he stated.
Siddaramaiah further highlighted that over 25 opposition leaders accused of corruption have joined the BJP since 2014, with 23 of them being cleared by central agencies afterward. He questioned the integrity of such actions, referencing several prominent leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma, Suvendu Adhikari, and Ajit Pawar, who joined the BJP and were allegedly absolved of their charges.
The Chief Minister's remarks came shortly after a special court directed the Karnataka Lokayukta to investigate Siddaramaiah regarding alleged irregularities in the MUDA scam. The case involves accusations that compensatory plots were allocated to Siddaramaiah's wife, BM Parvathi, in a prime area of Mysuru, where the land's value was significantly higher than that acquired by MUDA. Under a 50:50 scheme, MUDA had granted plots to Parvathi in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, where a residential layout was later developed.
Siddaramaiah also took a jab at the BJP's inclusion of leaders like HD Kumaraswamy in the Union Cabinet despite serious corruption allegations. He questioned the silence of the Honorable Governor on the Lokayukta’s request to prosecute Kumaraswamy, asking, "Why is the Governor ignoring this request? Who is putting pressure on him, Mr. Modi?"
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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.
