India News | Clamour for CM Siddaramaiah's Resignation Continues on Day 5 of BJP-JD Protest March

Mandya (Karnataka), Aug 7 (PTI) The BJP and JD(S)' clamour for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation, over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam' continued, with their protest march entering fifth day on Wednesday.

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The opposition has stepped up its campaign against the Congress government at a time when Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot is said to be weighing options vis-a-vis the petition seeking sanction for Chief Minister's prosecution in connection with the 'scam', after his Cabinet urged him to withdraw show-cause notice to Siddaramaiah.

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The week-long Bengaluru -Mysuru 'padayatre' (foot march) has sought to highlight the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi.

The fifth day of the 'Mysuru Chalo' protest march began here, and is scheduled to cover a distance of 15 km to reach Tubinakere in the district.

BJP State President and MLA B Y Vijayendra, JD (S) state president and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, several legislators, leaders and workers from both parties took part as the march resumed.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka, JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy, former Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan also joined the march.

A large number of workers and leaders from both parties were seen marching shouting slogans against Siddaramaiah and the government, holding BJP and JD(S) party flags and placards, amidst sounds of drum beat.

The stretch through which the march passed through was decked up with flags of both parties, buntings and portraits of prominent leaders at several places.

Kick started on Saturday at Kengeri near Bengaluru, the march on its first day had covered a distance of 16 km to reach Bidadi, 22 km on the day two to reach Kengal, 20 km on day three to reach Nidaghatta, and 20 km to reach Mandya city on day four.

Addressing the gathering during the march, Ashoka said the poor and middle class have to face great difficulty to get one 30 feet by 40 feet residential site, but Siddaramaiah has secured 14 sites of 50x70 dimension from MUDA, that too at a prime locality.

Siddaramaiah is "involved in this scam at every level" and that's the reason BJP and JD(S) are protesting, he said, adding, "this fight is against Siddaramaiah's loot and to give back the sites that were taken by Siddaramaiah and his followers....this is Rs 4,000-Rs 5000 crore scam."

Kumaraswamy said the Congress that came to power promising to give transparent government during the Assembly polls, indulged in loot within 24 hours of assuming office.

"There was loot with regards to transfer of government employees and officials after this administration came to power. In the last 14-15 months having seen the conduct of this government and its activities, BJP and JD(S) have started this 'padayatre' to warn the government. This march is not personally against anyone, but against corruption and scams of this government and the public anger against it," he said.

There was "anti-incumbency" against the Congress government within a few days after it came to power, he said, as he targeted Siddaramaiah and his government for both MUDA and Valmiki Development Corporation 'scams.'

There was reportedly some altercation between a section of BJP and JD(S) workers during the march when BJP state General Secretary and former Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda joined the march and his supporters shouted slogans in his favour.

Kumaraswamy had earlier said that he was hurt by BJP's move to pick Preetham Gowda as one of the key organisers of the protest, accusing him of being responsible for distribution of pen-drives allegedly containing explicit videos of his nephew and former Hassan JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexually abusing several women.

Preetham Gowda was kept away from any active role in the march by the BJP, after Kumaraswamy announced that JD(S) will take part in the march after initially pulling out of it citing his leadership among other reasons.

In the MUDA 'scam', it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.

BJP leaders have claimed that the MUDA "scam" is of the magnitude of Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore.

The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA 'scam'.

Based on a petition filed by advocate-activist T J Abraham, the Governor issued the "show-cause notice" on July 26 directing the Chief Minister to submit his reply to the allegations against him within seven days as to why permission for prosecution should not be granted against him.

The Karnataka government on August 1 had "strongly advised" Gehlot to withdraw his "show-cause notice" to the Chief Minister, and alleged "gross misuse of the Constitutional Office ' of the Governor.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)