Governor is working as ‘puppet’ of Centre, says Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on MUDA scam notice

On July 26, the Governor received a complaint against the CM at 11.30 a.m. The same day, Chief Minister’s office received a call from the special officer in the Governor’s office that the show-cause notice to the CM was ready to be collected. The notice was handed over the next day at 2 p.m. as it was late that day, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

Upping his ante against Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot for issuing a show-cause notice to him over the alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Governor of working as a ‘puppet’ in the hands of the Centre.

Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Mysuru on August 2 before proceeding to review the flood situation in Kodagu, Mr Siddaramaiah accused the Centre of misusing Raj Bhavan to destabilise an elected State government. The show-cause notice served by the Governor was not only ‘illegal’ and ‘anti-constitutional’, but also ‘ruining’ democracy, said the Chief Minister while calling upon him to withdraw the notice immediately.

Mr. Siddaramaiah emphasised that he had no role to play in the allotment of residential sites to his wife. “Where is my role in it?”

He accused T.J. Abraham, an activist whose complaint was the basis for the Governor issuing the show cause notice, of being a ‘blackmailer’ who had submitted such complaints against several people. “But, I have committed no offence,” the Chief Minister said.

On July 26, a complaint against the CM had been lodged at 11.30 a.m. The same day, his office received a call from the special officer in the Governor’s office that the show-cause notice to the Chief Minister was ready to be collected. The notice was handed over the next day at 2 p.m. as it was late that day, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

He sought to know the reason for the ‘haste’ with which the Governor had issued a show-cause notice to the Chief Minister of a democratically elected government. “Before issuing a show-cause notice to the Chief Minister, shouldn’t the Governor go through all legal aspects comprehensively?”

Though the Chief Secretary had sent a detailed explanation to the Governor the same day, the Raj Bhavan had not considered it. Also, Mr. Siddaramaiah pointed out that the State Government had ordered a judicial probe into the matter on July 14, and a report is awaited, but the Governor had not considered the same.