Heightening the attack on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Opposition BJP staged a protest in all the district centres of the State on Thursday and demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), claiming that several sites had been illegally allotted to his followers by the authority.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok, who spearheaded the protest in Mandya that was held to condemn the alleged “insult” to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot by Congress leaders and to demand the resignation of Mr. Siddaramaiah in the wake of the Governor granting sanction for conducting an inquiry against him, maintained that only a CBI probe could expose the “big sharks” involved in the alleged irregularities in MUDA.
He said MUDA Chairman Mari Gowda, who is the close aide of Mr. Siddaramaiah, himself had written letters to the authorities concerned expressing concern over the alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by the development authority.
Referring to the allegations that the lines in the documents showing Chief Minister’s wife’s request to MUDA authorities to grant her sites in a particular area had been “covered with whitener”, Mr. Ashok said there was a dire need for a probe by the Central agency to bring out truth.
He also demanded an apology from the Congress for targeting the Governor for granting permission to inquire against the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, addressing protesters at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy urged Dalit leaders in the Congress, including legislators and MPs, to quit to register their protest over “injustice being meted out to Dalits” by the Congress by way of siphoning money from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation and allegedly insulting the Governor who is a Dalit.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s statement that he was being accused of indulging in irregularities as he is an OBC leader, Mr. Narayanaswamy sought to remind him that Prime Minister Narendra Modi too belongs to an OBC community.
Meanwhile, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said in a post on X, “There are enough documents to prove Mr. Siddaramaiah family’s effort to grab government land. Is it a lie that your close aide took over all documents in his helicopter? You are claiming that there is neither your signature nor noting. Which noting asked for Rs. 62 crore compensation in lieu of 14 sites?”
