With the Karnataka High Court dismissing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's challenge to the sanction given by the Governor for probing the Mysuru Urban Development Authority land scam case involving his wife Parvathi, the opposition has started demanding his resignation. Siddaramaiah's problems have increased both legally and politically, and there is pressure on him from his party leaders too. Siddaramaiah has refused to quit saying that the High Court has only favoured a probe but "that does not mean I am guilty".
Siddaramaiah says, he has done nothing illegal, and the land in question has been returned by him. Let us go into the merits of the case. The 3.5 acre land was purchased by Siddaramaiah's brother-in-law in 2010, when the former was Deputy Chief Minister. His brother-in-law gifted this land to his sister (CM's wife Parvathi). Mysuru Urban Development Authority, without acquiring village land, started developing Devanur Stage-3 layout. In 2022, when Basavaraj Bommai was BJP chief minister, Siddaramaiah's wife acquired 38,283 square meter of plots in the posh locality of south Mysuru, in exchange for the 3.5 acre land.
There are also allegations of forgery in some documents relating to Siddaramaiah's family properties. When this controversy came into public focus, the chief minister returned the land, but, by that time, the matter had reached the courts.
On Tuesday, Karnataka High Court said, "If the petitioner (Siddaramaiah) was not in the seat of power, helm of affairs, the benefit of such magnitude would not have flown...In the opinion of the court, the Chief Minister...should not fight shy of any investigation. There is lurking suspicion, looming large allegations, and the beneficiary of Rs 56 crore is the family of the chief minister."
The main opposition party BJP demanded the chief minister's resignation, while both Congress President Malliakarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi have maintained silence. There are speculations that the Deputy CM DK Shivakumar also wants Siddaramaiah should resign and make way for him to become the chief minister, but, for the moment, Shivakumar is playing safe.
Soon after the High Court gave its verdict, DK Shivakumar met the Chief Minister and later said that all allegations against Siddaramaiah were baseless. He said, Siddaramaiah will not resign and fight the legal battle.
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