Confident that Guv will reject petition seeking my prosecution: CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he is confident the Governor will be "convinced", and will reject the petition seeking sanction for prosecution against him in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam', as everything is legal and as per the Constitution.
Asserting that truth always triumphs, he said the opposition BJP and JD(S) are scared of him and his government as they are pro-people and poor, and hence are making efforts to destabilise it by making false allegations.
"When everything is legal, (the Governor) should be convinced... not hopeful, I'm confident that he will accept (the government's response) as things are legal. He (Governor) is the head of the Constitution, when things are in accordance with the Constitution, why won't he accept? I'm confident that he will accept," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
Asked if he suspected any political conspiracy as the Governor had met the Prime Minister and Home Minister in Delhi recently, he said, "I suppose nothing...."
"Since the Governor is the head of the Constitution, he will act according to the law," he added.
With the ball now in the Governor's court vis-a-vis the petition seeking sanction for Siddaramaiah's prosecution in connection with the MUDA site allotment 'scam', all eyes are on the Raj Bhavan, as to what decision Thaawarchand Gehlot takes.
Based on a petition filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, the Governor 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 "strongly advised" the Governor to withdraw his "showcause notice" and alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office'' of the Governor.
The council of Ministers had said a concerted effort was being made to destabilise a lawfully elected majority government in Karnataka for political considerations.
Asked whether the Governor has given another notice to him, the CM said, "only one notice had come, for which we have responded."
To another question whether the Governor had called the Chief Secretary and sought explanation from her, he said, "I don't know. I only know that after taking charge the new Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh had gone to meet the Governor on his return from Delhi."
The BJP and JD(S) are on a week-long 'Mysuru Chalo' padayatre foot march since Saturday against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites by MUDA to those who lost land to other development projects, including to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.
Claiming that the opposition was targeting him to destabilise the government, Siddaramaiah said, "They (BJP) tried 'Operation Kamala" (earlier), but were not successful, so now both BJP and JD(S) have joined together and are trying to destabilise the government, because Siddaramaiah is working for the poor, we are implementing guarantee schemes."
He said, "the opposition are unable to digest this, as they are opposed to guarantee schemes, from the day one they -- including the Prime Minister -- are saying that it cannot be implemented, and even if implemented it will be stopped."
Questioning whether the opposition will be successful in their attempts to destabalise the government with false allegations, the Chief Minister in response to a question said, "truth always triumphs".
"In BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's case (where prosecution sanction was granted in the past) money was taken through cheque, he (Yediyurappa) had denotified (land). What have I done? Are there any documents or orders or statements from me?" he asked.
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.
BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA "scam" is of the magnitude of Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.
Noting that in 2014 itself, when he was the Chief Minister, his wife had given an application for alternative sites in lieu of her 3.16 acres of land acquired by MUDA, he said, "I had told MUDA until I'm CM don't give alternative sites."
"I could have given (sites) then itself, have I given? Didn't the CM have the powers? I could have given. In 2021 my wife again gave an application (to MUDA), the BJP government was in power then. How could I influence?" he said, adding that sites were given in accordance with law.
To a query that BJP-JD(S) 'padayatre' (foot march) has claimed that they will "overthrow the corrupt government," Siddaramaiah said, "Their governments were corrupt. I will tell (during August 9 rally in Mysuru) what all scams happened during their tenure, what stage the inquiry is. I will reveal everything."
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Constitution powerful tool to protect poorest section of society: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday urged citizens to protect the ethos of the Constitution and said the struggle to defend India's inherent philosophy must be reinvigorated and reignited in the 75th year of its adoption.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the Constitution is a powerful tool to protect the poorest and weakest sections of society, and the stronger it is, the stronger the country will be.
In a swipe at the BJP, the opposition party also asserted that at a time when those out to destroy the Constitution are showing insincere commitment towards it, "our duty to protect it and fight for its true values becomes all the more relevant".
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the people of India should come together to protect each and every thought expressed in the Constitution.
"The 75th year of the adoption of the Constitution has begun today. I extend my warmest wishes to all Indians on this historic occasion," the Congress president said in a post on X.
"The Constitution of India, painstakingly and carefully drafted by our foremothers and forefathers is the lifeblood of our nation. It guarantees us social, economic and political rights. It constitutes India into a sovereign socialist democratic republic," he said.
Justice, liberty, equality and fraternity are not just ideals or ideas, they are the way of life for 140 crore Indians, Kharge asserted.
"Today, we recall the tremendous contribution of the Constituent Assembly and its prolific members. We are forever indebted to their vision and wisdom," he said.
Kharge said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Rajendra Prasad, KM Munshi, Sarojini Naidu, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and several eminent personalities were not just revered national icons but inspiring personalities who became the torchbearers of hope for generations together.
No mention of the Constituent Assembly should be complete without recalling the contribution of the 15 women members who provided equally important inputs for an inclusive India, the Congress president said.
"We must also not forget that the Constituent Assembly received uncountable suggestions from ordinary citizens which are a matter of record," he said.
The Objectives Resolution moved by Nehru and Ambedkar's momentous last speech to the Constituent Assembly form the Magna Carta in protecting the tenets of the Constitution, he said.
"We, the patriotic citizens of India, now have the onerous task of protecting the ethos of the Constitution," Kharge said.
"We, the people of India, should, therefore, come together to protect each and every thought expressed in the Constitution," he said.
In the 75th year of the Constitution's adoption, the struggle to defend India's inherent philosophy must be reinvigorated and reignited, just like the era of the national movement, the Congress president said.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, "Heartiest greetings to all of you on Constitution Day. The basic spirit of our Constitution is that justice and rights should be equal for all. Everyone should get an opportunity to live with self-respect."
"The Constitution is a powerful tool to protect the poorest and weakest sections of society. The stronger it is, the stronger our country will be," he said.
"On this day, I salute the fighters, martyrs and every member of the Constituent Assembly who protected the idea of the Constitution and reiterate my resolve to protect it," Gandhi said.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that freedom fighters and great people together created a Constitution that ensured freedom, equality, fraternity and justice for crores of Indians.
"Our Constitution is the protective shield of crores of Indians which gives them every kind of rights. Happy Constitution Day to all the people of the country," she said.
"Salute to the great ancestors, martyrs, revolutionaries and every member of the Constituent Assembly. This democracy and Constitution, obtained from their tireless hard work and sacrifices, is our pride. Come, let us pledge that we will protect it in every situation," Priyanka Gandhi said in her post in Hindi on X.
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal said India marks an important landmark as it celebrates the 75th Constitution Day today, a day when Ambedkar's revolutionary text was adopted by the Constituent Assembly.
The Constitution of India is not merely a document, it is India's soul and history of millennia in motion, he said in a post on X.
"A living document that gives hope to 140 crore Indians, the Constitution is what keeps the ideals of justice, equality, inclusivity and democracy alive in India," Venugopal said.
"At a time when those out to destroy the Constitution are showing insincere commitment towards it, our duty to protect it and fight for its true values becomes all the more relevant," Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled two books on the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of India by the Constituent Assembly.
Many books have been, and continue to be written on the making of the Constitution. But two have become evergreen classics, he said.
"Granville Austin's scholarly 'The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation' first appeared in 1966. He had got unprecedented access to the private collections of a number of key personalities, especially Dr. Rajendra Prasad and K.M. Munshi. He had also interviewed many members of the Constituent Assembly," Ramesh said.
B Shiva Rao's magisterial four-volume "The Framing of the Indian Constitution" was published in 1968, he noted. It has a very poignant letter from Nehru to Shiva Rao on writing a foreword sent just three days before the then prime minister passed away, Ramesh recalled.
Incidentally, Shiva Rao's almost now-forgotten brother Benegal Narsing Rau was a pivotal player in the making of the Constitution, he said.
