Union Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi has accused the Congress government in Karnataka of mounting pressure on the Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot, to blur the corruption in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority land scam allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speaking at the launch of 'Mysuru Chalo Padyatra', Joshi said Siddaramaiah is entangled neck-deep in the scandal and alleged that the State government is trying to bury the investigation. "The Chief Minister is caught in a corruption scandal. As the Congress leadership is also directly involved, there is no demand for his resignation," he said.
He further alleged that the Congress high command is party to corruption; leaders who are out on bail are shielding those in Karnataka who are likely to go to jail. He assured the gathering that BJP and JD-S would not relent until justice is done, while declaring the time of Siddaramaiah is up in the state and legal and political action will be taken against him.
The Union Minister tore into the historical record of corruption of the Congress party, citing extensive problems within the period when it was at the Centre. He drew a contrast between that and the tenures of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which have been free of such allegations.
He said that corruption had been the institutionalised practice since the day of Independence under Congress rule, and accused Siddaramaiah's government of carrying on the same legacy in Karnataka. He attacked the state government, saying it reflected the corruption-prone nature of previous Congress administrations.
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