“Big conspiracy to destabilise the government, has done nothing to justify resignation”: Siddaramaiah

BENGALURU: In his first reaction after Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot approved prosecution in the alleged MUDA land allocation scam, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday termed it a “grand conspiracy” to destabilise a legitimately elected government. He alleged that the Central government, the BJP, JD(S) and others were part of the conspiracy.

“We expected this. The Governor's decision is unconstitutional and against the rules. We will challenge this in court and take up litigation. The Congress high command is behind me, the entire Cabinet is behind me, the government is behind me, all Congress MPs, all MPs and all MPs are behind me,” stressed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Asked if he would resign, Siddaramaiah said he had done nothing to warrant his resignation. “He (the governor) has done wrong. He is violating the rules and violating the Constitution. The Raj Bhavan has been made a political playground. The governor is a puppet in the hands of the central government,” he said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also said that the Governor had prepared to serve him with a notice of reply on March 26, 2023, the date of receipt of the complaint.

“A case has been pending against HD Kumaraswamy over mining licences since last November. The Lokayukta had sought prosecution but it was not granted. There are cases against (Shashikala) Jolle, (Murugesh) Nirani and Janardhana Reddy. The Governor has ignored all these cases and sent notice only to me. The BJP has tried to topple elected governments in other states before,” he said.