Buoyed by Muda case ruling, BJP plans to intensify campaign against Karnataka govt

BENGALURU: Over the past couple of months, the opposition BJP and JD(S) have launched a relentless campaign against chief minister Siddaramaiah and his govt over alleged scams involving Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) and the Valmiki ST development corporation. They even undertook a padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru, demanding a CBI probe into the Muda scam and Siddaramaiah's resignation.
Tuesday's high court ruling has not only invigorated their campaign but also emboldened them to intensify their efforts. BJP lost no time in kicking off protests to push for Siddaramaiah's resignation and the party is expected to aggressively confront the govt, challenging its credibility on various fronts.
"We shall continue to hold the govt accountable for its illegal actions and pursue cases to their logical end," said BJP MLC N Ravikumar. We will not allow these issues to dissipate."
Besides the alleged Valmiki development corporation scam, BJP and JD(S) have also been targeting the govt over the controversial allocation of industrial plots to AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge's son, Rahul, among others.
While CBI continues to probe the Valmiki corporation fund transfer scam, a special investigation team set up by the state govt and the Enforcement Directorate have already filed chargesheets in the case. The SIT named several senior officials of the Valmiki Corporation, while the ED identified former minister B Nagendra as the primary accused, which has frustrated BJP, who sought Siddaramaiah's involvement in the case.
"How can a scam of this magnitude happen without the cognisance of the finance minister (Siddaramaiah)? We will persist in our struggle until Siddaramaiah's role is thoroughly investigated," Ravikumar said.
BJP plans to organise a padayatra from Kudalasangama to Ballari to highlight the ST corporation scam, mirroring their previous padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru related to the Muda case.
Another case for BJP to attack the govt with is the Kempanna Commission report on Arkavathy Layout, which involves allegations of illegal denotification of over 800 acres of land when Siddaramaiah was CM.
While these remain allegations, the opposition alliance is making concerted efforts to gain political traction and build a narrative against the Congress ahead of upcoming byelections and zilla and taluk panchayat elections.