“Conspiracy to destabilise the Karnataka government”, Siddaramaiah rules out resignation

“Conspiracy to destabilise the Karnataka government”, Siddaramaiah rules out resignation

Bengaluru: Just hours after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot gave his consent to prosecute him in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scandal, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ruled out the possibility of his resignation and stressed that he would fight the case in court.

He further claimed that the Congressional high command and the entire Cabinet were behind him.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “Resignation is out of the question. I will fight this in court. It is the Governor's decision. He has no authority, he has no jurisdiction and it is unconstitutional and we will fight it in court.”

“It is a conspiracy against the Congress government. The BJP and JD (S) parties have joined hands with the central government. The high command is behind me, the entire cabinet is behind me. The government is behind me. All the MPs are behind me,” Siddaramaiah announced.

“A grand conspiracy has been hatched to destabilise the elected government of Karnataka. Just as there were conspiracies in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and New Delhi, a similar conspiracy is being carried out in Karnataka. On the face of it, there is no charge against me and the Governor's decision to grant permission to prosecute is unconstitutional. We will challenge this decision legally,” he reiterated.

“They (the central government) do not tolerate this government and they do not tolerate my leadership because this government has implemented all the guarantee programs and these guarantee programs are for the poor people of all communities and all religions,” he explained.

That is why this central government is against social justice, against poor people and against guarantees. The BJP and the central government are totally against the guarantee schemes. Now the JD (S) has also joined in. They are doing this with a conspiracy of BJP, JD (S), the central government and the local leaders of Karnataka, CM Siddaramaiah alleged.

“I will fight it in court. It is an illegal sanction by the governor, who is a puppet of the central government. There is no evidence against me or anyone. The BJP has no moral right to demand my resignation because the governor is biased against me,” he insisted.

A petition has been filed against Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy with the Governor. In fact, the Lokayukta has demanded sanctions against Union Minister Kumaraswamy in his case. These sanctions have not been granted so far. The case of former BJP minister Shashikala Jolle is also pending, CM Siddaramaiah claimed.

He pointed out that a request for comment was issued on the same day the complaint was filed against him. “This action by the governor was to be expected. All MPs, cabinet ministers and party leaders support me. The governor is a puppet of the central government.”

This is a political ploy and my resignation is out of the question. The governor is being used as a political weapon. You cannot tolerate the success of the Congress government and its guarantee programs,” he added.