BENGALURU: In a heated response to the opposition’s eight-day padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru demanding his resignation, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has labeled the BJP as the “grandfather of corruption.” His remarks come after the BJP and its ally JD(S) launched the protest, criticizing his administration.
Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of corrupt practices during its tenure, referencing allegations by Karnataka Contractors’ Association president D Kempanna, who claimed that the previous BJP government was involved in a 40% commission scandal. “If there is any grandfather of corruption, it’s BJP. Whom did we call ’40 percent government’? It’s BJP,” Siddaramaiah said in Hassan.
Addressing JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s prediction that the Congress government would collapse within 10 months, Siddaramaiah responded by questioning Kumaraswamy’s own political longevity. “We have to see how many days HD Kumaraswamy remains a union minister. People have blessed us and elected 136 MLAs. They were 37 in the 2019 assembly election. They have come down to 19,” he countered.
Siddaramaiah also refuted claims related to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allegedly creating an illegal layout on land owned by his wife. BJP leaders, including former CM Basavaraj Bommai and Sadananda Gowda, have accused Siddaramaiah’s government of widespread corruption, with Gowda vowing to pressure him into resigning. Union minister Shobha Karandlaje alleged that funds from the MUDA and Valmiki Corporation scams were diverted to Telangana for elections, directed by the Congress high command.