Karnataka Chief Minister in Delhi, Congress firefights BJP’s scam charges

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, July 30, 2024: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, will be in Delhi today to meet the Congress’ top leadership. On the agenda is the fallout of allegations of misappropriation of ₹ 187 crore from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.

The opposition alliance - the BJP and the Janata Dal Secular - have targeted the ruling Congress on this issue, declaring the alleged scam has exposed the "anti-Dalit" face of its government.

The opposition has also targeted the Chief Minister over allegations of an even larger scam - that he bypassed guidelines for allotment of land by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, to give influential people, including his wife, prime property as compensation for land acquired elsewhere.

The opposition has alleged the value of land provided as compensation was much more than that of the land acquired, and that this caused a loss of ₹ 4,000 crore to the state exchequer.

The Chief Minister, Mr Shivakumar, and the Congress high command will sit down to discuss protecting the state leaders from being legally implicated in these cases, sources told NDTV.

The BJP-JDS have stepped up attacks in the past week, and have started a week-long padyatra, or foot march, to protest against the corruption claims against the Chief Minister and the Congress.

In his response, Siddaramaiah said his wife had been awarded compensation when the BJP was in power and that it was her "right". "They (BJP) are the ones who gave the site... now if they call it illegal how should one respond? Should we give up our land because I am the Chief Minister?"

He also dismissed the BJP’s protests as "politically motivated".

He insisted there was "no issue" in allotment of land to his wife and accused the BJP of creating an issue out of allotments to my wife. "It is not at all an issue."

The BJP has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Tension between the two camps exploded in the state Assembly last week.

Launching a blistering attack, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka blamed the Congress for the death by suicide of an accounts officer, Chandrasekharan P, on May 26. The alleged Maharshi Valmiki scam was exposed after Chandrasekharan left behind details on his suicide note.

The note alleged unauthorised transfer of ₹ 187 crore belonging to the Corporation from.

From this, a sum of ₹ 88.62 crore was moved to various accounts allegedly belonging to "well-known" IT-companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, among others.

Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra resigned on June 6. He is currently in Enforcement Directorate custody.