BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra on Tuesday demanded an apology from Congress leaders after Karnataka High Court dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s petition challenging the approval given by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for conducting an investigation against him in the alleged illegalities in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotting sites to his wife.
He said Congress leaders not just challenged the legality of the Governor’s actions but also “maligned his reputation by accusing him of being a political puppet”.
“In light of the Karnataka High Court’s decision today, which upheld the Governor’s sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah in the MUDA case, it is imperative for Congress leaders who criticised the Governor’s authority to issue a public apology. They did not just challenge the legality of the Governor’s actions but also maligned his reputation by accusing him of being a political puppet. Offensive terms like ‘Nalayak’ were directed at a Dalit Governor who was simply performing his constitutional duties,” Vijayendra said in a post on X.
He said that the High Court has now validated Governor Thawarchand Gehlot’s actions, “confirming that his decision to call for an investigation was grounded in legality and constitutional principles.”
“The claims made by Congress leaders, framing the Governor’s decision as an unconstitutional attack on the CM, have proven to be without merit,” he said.
The BJP leader said that it is essential that Congress leaders acknowledge the court’s ruling and apologise for their unfounded allegations against the governor. “Doing so would restore respect for constitutional institutions and uphold the rule of law, rather than undermining the democratic values they claim to defend. Public office demands accountability, and this apology would be a vital step towards healing the damage their words have caused,” he added.
Meanwhile, BJP workers held protests in Hubli demanding the resignation of Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah after the Karnataka High Court rejected his plea challenging the legality of the Governor’s nod to an investigation against him over the alleged MUDA land scam.
Aravind Bellad, Deputy Leader of Opposition, Karnataka, said that a probe will take place and Siddaramaiah will have no option but to resign.”As expected, Karnataka High Court has rejected Siddaramaiah’s plea…in the eyes of the law, everybody is equal. A probe will take place and Siddaramaiah will have no option but to resign,” Bellad said.
Earlier today, the Karnataka High Court dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s petition. In his judgement, the single judge bench of Justice Nagaprasanna said that the order of sanction for prosecution does not suffer from non-application of mind by the Governor.It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife in the prime location of Mysuru city.
The High Court, in its interim order passed on August 19, had granted a temporary relief to Siddaramaiah by directing a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action pursuant to the sanction granted by the Governor.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that he is not scared of the BJP and JD(S) conspiracy and will discuss with legal experts & ministers how to fight this.
The Karnataka CM further said that all the MLAs, leaders and workers of the Congress have stood by him and encouraged him to continue the fight. (ANI)