BJP workers stage protests demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation after HC verdict

BJP workers on Tuesday staged protests in several parts of Karnataka demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, hours after the Karnataka High Court dismissed his petition challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s approval for investigation against him in a site allotment case.
The protests were organised in Siddaramaiah’s home district of Mysuru, Hubballi and Belagavi, among other places, party leaders said. Holding the party’s flag, they raised slogans against Siddaramaiah asking him to step down as Chief Minister.
“In the wake of the High Court verdict, we want Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to resign from his post immediately and join the investigation,” a BJP functionary said.
The party’s state chief B Y Vijayendra noted that the HC has ruled that the Governor’s permission is as per law. “I request the Chief Minister to keep aside his charges against the Governor, respect the High Court order and, since there are allegations that your (Chief Minister’s) family is involved in the MUDA (site allotment) scam, you should respectfully resign your position as Chief Minister,” he told reporters here.
The High Court verdict came as a setback to the Chief Minister who had challenged the approval given by the Governor for an investigation against him in the alleged irregularities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a prime locality.
(Also Read: Siddaramaiah alleges ‘BJP’s revenge politics’ after HC’s site allotment case verdict)
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry, urging Siddaramaiah to step down as the Chief Minister of the state.
“There are more than 500-1000 sites allocated to other people also illegally. Most of them have happened in the last few months and hence they have to be investigated. Henceforth, the Chief Minister of Karnataka has to resign for the investigation to be conducted impartially,” Joshi said.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Tuesday said that he was not surprised by the High Court dismissing Siddaramaiah’s plea challenging governor’s sanction to prosecute him.
“I am not surprised. The idea of involving the Governor and Governor’s Office was to ensure that this plays out like this. The Governor has very clearly overstepped his legal ambit and he has done these things. We see this as a standard operating procedure, we see this as a playbook – what happened in Jharkhand, what happened in Delhi, we are seeing that in Karnataka as well,” Priyank Kharge told ANI here.
(Also Read: Setback for Siddaramaiah: Karnataka High Court rejects plea against Governor’s approval for probe in site allotment case)