Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has initiated legal proceedings against Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s recent decision to authorize his prosecution. The case stems from alleged irregularities in a site allotment by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Live Law reported.
Siddaramaiah moved to the High Court on Monday, escalating the political dispute between the Congress-led state government and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This legal challenge underscores the growing tension between state and federal authorities. In response to the controversy, Siddaramaiah has scheduled a Congress Legislative Party meeting for August 22 at the Vidhana Soudha.
Information Technology Minister Priyank Kharge stressed the importance of briefing party members on the situation. The CM plans to visit New Delhi on Tuesday to update the Congress party’s central leadership and strategize their response. The MUDA case involves allegations that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, received improper land allotments in Mysuru in 2021.
BJP leaders claim the alleged scam could involve up to Rs 5,000 crore. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced state-wide protest rallies for August 19, condemning the governor’s sanction as politically motivated. As both legal and public responses unfold, this political drama is expected to intensify in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize opposition leader R Ashok for questioning why he hasn’t resigned like B S Yediyurappa did when then-Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj granted prosecution permission in 2011. Siddaramaiah accused Ashok of ignorance, pointing out that Yediyurappa did not resign immediately after the prosecution permission was granted in the Rachenahalli denotification scam.
Siddaramaiah emphasized that Yediyurappa stepped down only in August 2011, after a damning Lokayukta report on illegal mining, led by Justice Santosh Hegde, revealed a ₹16,500 crore loss to the state’s treasury. He also reminded Ashok and the BJP of their previous criticism of Governor Bhardwaj, urging them to recall their stance during that period. In his post, Siddaramaiah urged BJP leaders to revisit the facts before making such statements and highlighted the hypocrisy in their current stance regarding the Governor and protests by his party.
