Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar have been summoned to New Delhi by the Congress top leadership for a high-level meeting on Friday. The meeting comes in the wake of the Karnataka Governor granting sanction for Siddaramaiah’s prosecution in connection with corruption allegations.
The two leaders are set to meet Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, with Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, also expected to be in attendance. While the precise agenda of the meeting remains undisclosed, sources suggest that Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar will likely brief the central leadership on the implications of the Governor's actions and discuss strategies to counter the emerging allegations.
Meanwhile, Telangana CM and Congress leader Revanth Reddy along with his Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and other senior ministers is set to meet Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Friday.
MUDA 'Scam'
The controversy centers around the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) 'scam,' which involves accusations of irregularities in the allotment of compensatory sites. The case dates back to 2010, when a piece of land, allegedly gifted to Parvathi by her brother Mallikarjunaswamy, was acquired by MUDA. Parvathi sought compensation for the land in 2014, during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as Chief Minister.
Earlier, CM Siddaramaiah on Karnataka Governor granting permission to prosecute him in the alleged MUDA scam said, "They (BJP) are not tolerating this government, my leadership. Because this government has implemented all the guarantee schemes. These guarantee schemes are for poor people of all communities, all religions. So the central government is against social justice, poor people and our guarantees."
Siddaramaiah has also accused Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot of bias in approving prosecution sanctions, adding to the political tension surrounding the case.