Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah under fire, Congress discusses offence, defence, contingency plan

During the meeting, it was decided the Congress would back the CM and discussions were held on the party’s next steps to counter the narrative of the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular), sources said. “We discussed what the party will do in case the criminal proceedings against the CM take a turn for the worse. We have also devised the party’s strategy to counter the narrative of corruption against the CM,” said a senior Congress leader, adding, “We will also be starting a campaign to expose the hypocrisy of the Governor granting prosecution sanction against the CM.”

The meeting came amid a controversy over land allotments to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi under the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). On August 16, Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot granted the sanction to three activists to file a police complaint against the CM and others. Siddaramaiah has challenged the sanction order in the Karnataka High Court, which has adjourned the hearing on the matter till August 29 and directed special courts not to conduct further proceedings in private complaints seeking FIRs against the CM.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Surjewala said the sanction against the CM was “an attack on the people of Karnataka”.

“The CM and Deputy CM briefed the Congress president and Leader of Opposition Rahul ji on how a systematic and designed assault has been unleashed through the office of a puppet Governor by the BJP and JD(S) as part of their sinister designs to destabilise an elected government,” Surjewala said. “But, in truth, this is a sinister design to attack the five Congress guarantees by which we are transferring over Rs 53,000 crore every year in the bank accounts of over four crore Kannadiga brothers.”

Surjewala alleged the BJP had been attacking the “guarantees” as they benefit weaker sections of society. “The BJP and JD(S) are scared of the guarantees … This is an attack on the people of Karnataka by the Union government … This is also an attack on the Backward Class CM, who is now the seniormost CM in the country. We will follow all legal remedies and we will take this battle to the court of the people,” he said.

Surjewala also questioned the Governor’s previous decision to refuse a prosecution sanction against former CMs B S Yediyurappa of the BJP and H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S). “Why has the Governor not granted sanction in an open-and-shut mining case against H D Kumaraswamy? Why has the Governor not given a sanction against BJP leader (Murugesh) Nirani? Why has the Governor not given a sanction against half a dozen BJP and JD(S) leaders? This shows the partisan attitude of the Governor,” he said. The Congress leader said that “all options are open, including meeting the President of India”.

Shivakumar also reiterated that the state Congress was united behind Siddaramaiah. The CM, who also spoke at the briefing, thanked the Congress high command. “We believe in the court and the law of the land … The decision taken by the Governor is illegal and unconstitutional. Therefore we can get justice from the court,” he said.

The Congress is wary of a change of guard in the state as it can upset the caste balance that is in its favour with Siddaramaiah at the helm. Despite the perceived loss of moral ground in the wake of the corruption allegations, Siddaramaiah has strategically played his cards to suggest that the accusations are part of the BJP’s political vendetta against Backward Class leaders.