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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing heat from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment scam. Despite strong demands from the BJP to resign, Siddaramaiah has refused to step down.
Lokayukta Police filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah on Friday based on allegations of irregularities and misuse of authority within MUDA during Siddaramaiah's previous tenure as Chief Minister. In response to the BJP's demands, Siddaramaiah has pointed out that there are also FIRs against Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others in connection with the electoral bond issue. He argued that if he should resign due to an FIR, then Sitharaman and others should also step down. "As per 17A, they were asked to do an inquiry and to give a report before 3 months as per the special court, as per that, they will file an FIR and do an investigation. There is an FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman as well in the people's representative court; who is she (Finance Minister) related to electoral bond? An FIR has been filed against her; shouldn't she also give her resignation?. Let them (BJP) resign; in my case, the lower special court took the decision and asked to enquire and to give the report in 3 months," Siddaramaiah said. Siddaramaiah also demanded the resignation of PM Modi and HD Kumaraswamy. "Let them first take the resignation of HD Kumaraswamy and others; shouldn't they make them Kumaraswamy resign? Even Modi also has to resign in the electoral bond issue. They have misused the electoral bond and looted; in that issue, HD Kumarswamy, Nirmala Sitharaman and Modi resign first," Siddaramaiah said. Earlier in the day, Lokayukta Police filed an FIR against Siddaramaiah and others in connection with the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment 'scam'. The FIR has been filed by the Mysuru Lokayukta under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 351, 420, 340, 09, and 120B among others, they said. The FIR mentions CM Siddaramaiah, his wife, brother-in-law and others as accused in the case, they added. This comes after the Special Court in Bengaluru passed an order directing Karnataka Lokyukta to conduct an investigation against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the allegation of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore to his wife Parvathi by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). BJP has strongly demanded the resignation of the Karnataka CM. "If he wants a fair and free inquiry and further investigation, since Lokayukta and all the police officers are still being posted by the Home Ministry, all the IPS officers are being transferred by none other than the Chief Minister himself. To have a fair inquiry, with this background. Lokayukta should be given a free hand by the present government by him resigning from his CM post," former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai said. It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife in the prime location of Mysuru city. (ANI)
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