Karnataka MUDA Land Scam: Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah (File).
"I am not afraid..." Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared Wednesday, shortly after a trial court said a police case must be filed against him - based on a complaint by activist Snehamayi Krishna - in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority land scam case.
Earlier today the Special Court of the People's Representatives had directed the state's Lokayukta to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in three months. The Chief Minister's response was swift. "I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally."
However, the activist whose complaint will feed the case against the Chief Minister is not fully satisfied, and has said he wants the investigation to "happen by the CBI only". "The court said the probe will happen by Lokayukta but, once FIR is filed... we will approach Karnataka High Court," he declared.
The Chief Minister will now face an inquiry into claims his wife, Parvathi, was allotted multiple plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - an exchange that allegedly cost the state losses of at least Rs 4,000 crore - taken for infrastructure projects.
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Siddaramaiah has firmly denied the charge; last month he said he had not done anything illegal in a political career spanning four decades, and expressed confidence the judiciary would absolve him.
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The trial court's order has been welcomed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which also repeated its demand that Siddaramaiah resign. The BJP's state unit boss, BY Vijayendra, called on "the powerful Chief Minister" to call in the CBI and "tender his resignation immediately". The BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal Secular, have planned protests at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Thursday, he said.
This is the second setback to the Congress leader in as many days; on Tuesday the High Court dismissed his challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot sanctioning his prosecution in the MUDA case. Siddaramaiah argued Mr Gehlot did not "apply his mind", but the court disagreed, ruling the Governor "did apply his mind in abundance". "No fault in the Governor's actions," the court said.
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In passing its order, the High Court also rolled back its August 19 order to the trial court - to not take action against the Chief Minister till his petition claiming Mr Gehlot's action as "illegal" is settled.
After the order Siddaramaiah had underlined his confidence in the judicial system and slammed the BJP's "revenge politics", stating, "I believe in the law and the Constitution... The truth will finally win."
The MUDA land scam row has become a major flashpoint, with the BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal Secular, targeting the ruling Congress and demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation.
On Tuesday, after the High Court's verdict, the BJP held vociferous protests across the state once again calling on the Chief Minister to quit. The party's state unit boss, BY Vijayendra, pointed to the court's ruling and slammed the Congress for saying the allegations are a "political conspiracy".
READ | "Siddaramaiah Must Quit": BJP After Chief Minister's Land Scam Setback
"BJP has been relentlessly fighting against the corrupt Congress government... the High Court has clearly said the decision by the Governor is correct. The Chief Minister should resign immediately..."
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi called the verdict a "slap on the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah". "The Karnataka High Court has answered all questions that were raised (and now) Siddaramaiah should resign, so an impartial investigation can be conducted by the CBI..."
Ramping up pressure on Siddaramaiah, BJP workers tried to gherao Siddaramaiah's Bengaluru residence, prompting police - who had been placed on high alert - to take dozens into custody.
The BJP-Congress face-off over the MUDA scam allegations also comes as the two parties go head-to-head in next week's Haryana Assembly election and the ongoing election in Jammu and Kashmir.
It also drew sharp barbs from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Haryana's Sonipat this afternoon; Mr Modi referred to the Congress' Karnataka government and criticised Siddaramaiah.
The Congress, meanwhile, has come out swinging in support of Siddaramaiah. The party has claimed a "conspiracy" against its Chief Minister, pointing to corruption allegations that have landed other opposition leaders - including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal - in jail.
Immediately after the High Court verdict Siddaramaiah's deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the Congress' state unit boss, said "there is no question (of the Chief Minister resigning)... he has not done anything wrong and is not involved in any scam. This is a political conspiracy by the BJP..."
Siddaramaiah has also been backed by his ministers, including Priyank Kharge, who is the son of Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, and Ramalinga Reddy, who said his boss is "100 per cent clean".
With input from agencies
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