Clamour for CM Siddaramaiah’s resignation continues on day 5 of opposition protest march
Mandya (PTI): The opposition BJP and JD(S)’ clamour for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation, over an alleged land allotment scam continued with their protest march entering the fifth day on Wednesday.
This even as Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot is weighing options vis-a-vis the petition seeking sanction for Siddaramaiah's prosecution in connection with the scam, after the Congress government urged him to withdraw show-cause notice to the CM.
The week-long Bengaluru -Mysuru 'padayatre' (foot march) has sought to highlight the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), including to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.
The fifth day of the 'Mysuru Chalo' march began in the city here and is scheduled to cover a distance of 15 km to reach Tubinakere in the district.
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BJP State President and MLA B Y Vijayendra, JD (S) state president and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, several legislators, leaders and workers from both parties took part as the march resumed.
Large number of workers and leaders from both parties were seen shouting slogans against Siddaramaiah and the Congress government, holding BJP and JD(S) party flags and placards, amidst drum beats.
The stretch through which the march passed was decked up with flags of both parties, buntings and portraits of prominent leaders at several places.
Kick started on Saturday at Kengeri near Bengaluru, the march on its first day had covered a distance of 16 km to reach Bidadi, 22 km on the day two to reach Kengal, 20 km on day three to reach Nidaghatta, and 20 km to reach Mandya city on day four.
In the MUDA 'scam', it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA 'scam'.
Based on a petition filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot had issued "showcause notice" on July 26 directing the Chief Minister to submit his reply to the allegations against him within seven days as to why permission for prosecution should not be granted against him.
The Karnataka government on August 1 had "strongly advised" the Governor to withdraw his "show-cause notice" to the Chief Minister, and alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office '' of the Governor.
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Rahul Gandhi has now declared 'open war' against Indian state itself: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks that "we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself" triggered a row on Wednesday with the BJP alleging that his statement was straight out of "George Soros’ playbook."
Addressing party leaders after the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters at 9A, Kotla Road here, Gandhi said, "Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP, that we are fighting a political organisation called the RSS, you have not understood what is going on.
"The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself," he said.
Sharing a video clip of Gandhi's remarks, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said, "Rahul Gandhi has now declared an open war against the Indian State itself. This is straight out of George Soros’s playbook."
In his remarks, Gandhi said, "I clearly stated that something went wrong in the Maharashtra elections. We are uncomfortable with the way the Election Commission operates. The sudden appearance of almost one crore new voters between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra is problematic".
Gandhi said it is the Election Commission's duty to provide a voters' list with names and addresses of those who voted in the Vidhan Sabha election.
However, the commission has refused to provide this information, he said.
"Why would the Election Commission refuse to make the voters' list transparent? What purpose does it serve by not providing us with the list, and why are they withholding it? It is the Election Commission's duty to provide transparency, and it is their sacred responsibility to explain why this has happened," he said.
"This is something that every Congressman and every opposition member must keep in mind. There is a serious problem with our election system, and it is the Election Commission's duty to be transparent," he said.
