Karnataka Guv Issues Notice To CM Siddaramaiah In Corruption Case

In a day of swift developments Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot issued a show-cause notice to chief minister Siddaramaiah as a precursor to sanctioning his prosecution in the Mysore site allotment scam, rattling the ruling Congress whose boss is facing arguably his most toughest political battle. Governor Gehlot asked Siddaramaiah to explain why prosecution sanction must not be accorded in connection with irregularities in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The allegation in the MUDA scam is that Siddaramaiah’s wife was given expensive plots in lieu of her land on which a layout was formed. Earlier, Gehlot had asked the state chief secretary for a report on the MUDA ‘scam’. The State Cabinet which met later to discuss Governor’s move came out rallying in support of the beleaguered CM. Siddaramaiah had recused from chairing the Cabinet meeting  and had allowed  deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar to preside over it. The Cabinet made it clear that the Governor must act on the aid and advice of the state council of ministers and must withdraw the show cause notice forthwith. Picking holes in the show cause notice, the Cabinet pointed out that the Governor had also failed to note that the complainant, TJ Abraham, had criminal antecedents. It also wondered how could the Raj Bhavan proceed on the complaint on the same day it received the petition. Further castigating the Governor, the Cabinet observed that there had been “a gross misuse of the Constitutional office of the Governor and a concerted effort to destabilize the elected majority government of Karnataka for political considerations”.