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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday hardened his position on the allegations related to the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam. He once again reiterated that he would not resign, adding that he is trying to act according to his conscience in this matter.
Siddaramaiah said that he became the Chief Minister with the blessings of the people and no one can do anything until they have the support of the people. "We have come to rule with the blessings of the people. The people of the state have given us a chance for 5 years. Even now, no matter how many difficulties we face, Mother Chamundeshwari's blessings are upon us. We will govern for five years. Truth always wins. No one can do anything until we have the blessings of all of you," he said. "The blessings of the people of this state rest on this government. I became the Chief Minister for the second time because of the blessings of Mother Chamundeswari and the people here. I haven't done anything wrong so far. Had I made a mistake, I could not have been in politics for so long. I believe in courts. We are trying to act according to our conscience. As Gandhiji said, the court of conscience is the highest of all courts," the Chief Minister added. Siddaramaiah on Thursday visited Chamundi Hill to join the auguration of the 10-day Dussehra festival in Mysuru and offered puja to the Goddess Chamundeshwari. The chief guest, noted writer Hampa Nagarajaiah, inaugurated the grand festivities by lighting a lamp and showered flowers on the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed in the temple. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, along with several ministers, including H K Patil, K Venkatesh and Dr H C Mahadevappa, and other dignitaries, were also present on the occasion. Recently, after the ED booked the Karnataka CM for money laundering in a case linked to the alleged MUDA land allotment scam, his wife wrote to the MUDA Commissioner, offering to surrender the 14 plots that were allotted to her by the authority. The Mysuru Lokayukta officially initiated an inquiry and investigation into the case following a September 27 court order to file an FIR. The Lokayukta was directed to investigate allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore to Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, by MUDA. It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife in the prime location of Mysuru city. Coming down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that Nathuram Godse is the leader of the BJP and also called upon the countrymen to defeat the alleged conspiracy of the BJP to make India according to Godse's ideology. On the question of land being 'gifted', He stated that the land in question was gifted to his wife by her brother and that MUDA had encroached upon it. He explained that his wife requested an alternative site but did not specify Vijayanagara, yet it was allocated to her. He asserted that the situation has escalated into political conflict and stated that the allegations of money laundering are not relevant to his case. He highlighted that his wife's actions were motivated by a desire to avoid controversy. (ANI)
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