‘Central Govt attempting to destabilize elected state govt by misusing Raj Bhavan,’ says CM Siddaramaiah

Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], August 2 (ANI): Accusing the central government of misusing the Raj Bhawan to destabilize the state government, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that the Governor is acting as a puppet of the Central Government, BJP-JDS alliance.

Speaking to the media at the Mysuru airport before leaving for the Kodagu district, the CM said that the Governor issuing a show cause notice to him over the MUDA scam is illegal and unconstitutional.

“The central government is misusing the Raj Bhavan in an attempt to destabilize the elected government,” he said.

Responding to a question from the media about recent developments in the case where prosecution has been allowed, the CM mentioned that he did not attend the cabinet meeting held yesterday as it would set a precedent for bad tradition. Therefore, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was appointed to conduct the Cabinet meeting. After a detailed discussion about the show cause notice, it was opined that the notice issued was illegal, and it was decided to advise the Governor to withdraw it.

Noting that KJ Abraham is a blackmailer and that taking action on his complaint is illegal, the CM said that he has filed complaints against many individuals in the same manner. He emphasized that he has not committed any crime.

“On July 26, 2024, the complaint was made at 11:30 a.m., and the Governor issued a show cause notice within a single day. All laws should be scrutinized when issuing a notice to the Chief Minister of an elected government with 136 MLAs who have the people’s blessings. The notice was issued hastily without proper consideration. On the same day, Special Duty Officer Prabhu Shankar contacted the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, LK Ateeq, and informed him that the show cause notice was ready and should be received. However, it was not received as it was late at night,” Siddaramaiah said.

The CM explained that the notice was issued in haste at 2:00 p.m. the next day.Former ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani, and Janardhan Reddy have had cases against them for years. The Chief Minister questioned why no action had been taken against them and stated that this current action was unnecessary.

“The Council of Ministers should advise the Governor. We have not advised him. The Chief Secretary sent a detailed letter to the Governor on July 26 at 6:30 p.m., which the Governor has not acknowledged. The government constituted a judicial commission on July 14 regarding the MUDA case, and the commission’s report is awaited. The commission will investigate and submit a report if there are any mistakes. The Governor issued the notice without considering this,” the CM said.

The CM stated that during his visit to Delhi, the party high command and leaders were convinced of the facts and understood the situation.

Responding to opposition leader R Ashok’s statement that the Chief Minister was scared after the Governor issued the notice, the CM said, “Ashok may be scared, but why should I be scared? They have not issued the notice as per the law. If someone has done something wrong, they should be afraid. I have not done anything wrong.”

The Chief Minister said that there is no objection to the BJP holding a padayatra. He noted that Union Minister and JDS President H D Kumaraswamy had mentioned that there was nothing in this case and that there was no need for a padayatra. He has earlier emphasized that attention should be given to the damage caused by heavy rains and floods. The Chief Minister questioned if this has been forgotten and noted that Kumaraswamy’s participation in the padayatra seems to not be of his own free will.

The Chief Minister stated that he has sought reports on damaged houses, roads, bridges, and electric poles due to the rains.

Answering a question about the Revenue Minister’s statement that houses would be built and compensation would also be provided, the CM said that it has been decided in the Cabinet that, as per SDRF guidelines, compensation will be provided and houses will also be constructed.

He mentioned that he will be going to Nanjangudu tomorrow morning and will check the damage caused by the rain in the Kodagu district today. (ANI)