UP Congress chief Ajay Rai has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is conspiring to undermine the Congress government in Karnataka following Governor Thawarchand Gehlot’s decision to sanction the prosecution of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
Speaking to ANI, Rai claimed, “This is a conspiracy of BJP. They want to weaken the Congress government wherever it is in power. How many scams did BJP’s Karnataka former CM Yediyurappa do? Forty percent commission was fixed, but nothing happened. BJP is trying to torture and defame Congress.” Rai also suggested that the Governor is acting on the instructions of the central government.
On August 17, an official order from the Karnataka Governor’s Secretariat stated that the Governor had sanctioned the prosecution of Siddaramaiah under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 218 of the Bharathiya Nagarika Suraksha Samhitha, 2023, for the alleged offences mentioned in a petition filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna. The petition accuses Siddaramaiah and nine others of forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.
Siddaramaiah responded strongly to the Governor’s decision, stating, “The Governor’s permission for prosecution against me is against the Constitution. The Governor is supposed to act as a representative of the Constitution, but he is behaving like a representative of the Central Government and the BJP.”
Earlier this month, Siddaramaiah had refuted the allegations, asserting that all actions taken regarding the MUDA were lawful and that the replacement plot given to his wife in 2021 was during the BJP government’s tenure and was in accordance with the law.
Ajay Rai’s remarks reflect growing tensions between the Congress and BJP, with the Congress accusing the BJP of using constitutional offices to target its leaders and destabilize its state governments.
With inputs from ANI.
