Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s move to authorise his deputy D K Shivakumar to helm the August 1 meeting of the State Council of Ministers to pass a resolution against Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s July 26 notice to the CM over alleged corruption in the land allotment is being seen as a sign of the Congress’s united front. Siddaramaiah said he made the move to avoid the conflict of interest that would arise if he was present in the meeting for a decision concerning the allotment of 14 housing sites to his wife Parvathi in Mysuru. It is alleged that the sites were awarded by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to Siddaramaiah’s wife in exchange for the acquisition of her 3.16-acre parcel of land outside Mysuru. In the meeting of the Council of Ministers, it was decided to urge the Governor to withdraw his notice to Siddaramaiah rejected the application filed by an activist seeking sanction to prosecute the CM. The meeting was seemingly a re-run of a November 2023 meeting, where Siddaramaiah and his Cabinet, in the absence of Shivakumar, withdrew the sanction given by the BJP to the CBI in 2019 to investigate corruption charges against the Deputy CM. Meanwhile, the Congress has firmly decided to back Siddaramaiah on the issue even as the Opposition BJP-JD(S) combine started a protest march from Bengaluru to Mysuru on Saturday. The ruling party has started a counter-protest led by Shivakumar. A total of 12 ministers attended the August 3 Congress’ protest in Ramanagara. "The BJP and JD(S) leaders have opened an opportunity to unveil their corruption issues by marching from Bengaluru to Mysuru. They have also given us an opportunity to organise our own party. I congratulate them for that," Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, said. Since Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar held a meeting with top All India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi on July 31, the party leadership’s intent to take control in the state has been evident. While many ministers seen as loyal to Siddaramaiah have been seen sporting despondent looks, many of his supporters attended the August 1 meeting only for a brief period. "While Siddaramaiah is a powerful leader on his own due to the support he enjoys from several loyal MLAs, he is not known to be a major contributor to the organisation of the party. The current situation is being seen by the party as a chance to organise more effectively under the leadership of Shivakumar," a Congress leader said. In the Karnataka Congress, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been known to be rivals, with the latter having been an aspirant for the CM’s post for a long time. The Congress’s underwhelming performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state was believed to have weakened Shivakumar. While the Congress is expected to defend Siddaramaiah politically and legally by projecting corruption charges against him as alleged attempts by the BJP-led Centre to destabilise a popularly elected government, the Congress is also laying the ground for a possible change of guard in the event of developments not favouring Siddaramaiah – as in the case of the Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. Even as the BJP-JD(S) combine is turning up the heat on Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case, the Congress is also grappling with allegations of embezzlement of Rs 89.73 crore fraud in the state Scheduled Tribe (ST) Development Corporation, which forced ST welfare minister B Nagendra to step down in May, who was subsequently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Congress has alleged that the former minister is being coerced by the ED to name Siddaramaiah and senior state officials in the alleged scam. "The immediate issue is to counter the allegations of the BJP and JDS and efforts by the Governor to corner the government by according sanction for filing a criminal case. Legal issues will be countered step by step. If the Governor accords sanction to prosecute the CM, it will be challenged legally," a Congress spokesperson said. However, Congress sources ruled out the possibility of Siddaramaiah resigning. "We are all in favour of Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar is standing with him. The people of the state are with Siddaramaiah," minister and Siddaramaiah loyalist Zameer Ahmed Khan said on Saturday at the protest in Ramanagara. In 2011, the then BJP CM B S Yediyurappa was forced to resign after then Governor Hasnraj Bhardwaj sanctioned the filing of a case in connection with a land denotification despite the state Cabinet advising the Governor against it. Unlike the Yediyurappa episode, Siddaramaiah — who enjoys a base among OBCs and minorities – has the support of the Congress high command. “No investigation or evidence suggests that the CM is involved in the MUDA irregularities. How can a democratically elected CM be accused in such a scenario? This is a conspiracy to bring down a CM who came to power with a massive majority. This is murder of democracy,” Shivakumar alleged. He pointed out that the CM’s wife cannot lose her right for compensation only because she is his wife. “She has never identified herself in public though her husband has been in public life for over four decades. She has every right to claim her compensation,” the deputy CM said. Siddaramaiah, on the other hand, has said that the Governor has been acting as a puppet of the BJP government at the Centre. "Why should I be scared? They have not issued the notice as per the law. If someone has done something wrong, they should be afraid. I have not done anything wrong," he said.
