Act of political vendetta by Narendra Modi govt: Surjewala on MUDA 'scam'

Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday, 17 August, dubbed the permission granted by governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot to prosecute chief minister Siddaramaiah in the MUDA alternative site scam as an act of “political vendetta” by the Narendra Modi-led central government. He said the Congress party would fight the battle legally.

Surjewala alleged that the decision is an "act of shameless unconstitutionality" by the governor, who is hell-bent on bulldozing the law and the Constitution to carry further BJP’s conspiracy.

"In a brazen political conspiracy hatched in the corridors of PMO and the Home Ministry, in Delhi, against the people of Karnataka and its elected government, the ‘puppet governor of Karnataka’ has proceeded to grant prosecution sanction against the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, by dancing to the tune of his political masters," he said in a statement.

He emphasised that Congress was blessed by crores of Kannadigas and won a decisive mandate in the 2023 Assembly elections to serve the people. PM Modi and the BJP are unable to fathom their loss in the state and have tried every trick in the book to defame and destabilise the Congress government.

"Every single attempt failed miserably, and they are now using their ‘Puppet Governor’ to hatch a conspiracy of destabilisation. The governor is now colluding with a complainant, who is a known blackmailer, to attack the elected government and the chief minister. The governor has brought huge disregard and infamy to his own Constitutional position in the process," he alleged.

He further alleged that the ‘Machiavellian’ conspiracy of the PMO/Home Ministry/BJP Leaders has three facets -- Try to steal the vote and the mandate of the people of Karnataka, decisively given in favour of the Congress party, by using the office of a ragdoll governor.

The second is to attack the Congress government in order to accomplish the BJP’s evil design to stop the five Congress Guarantees, benefitting over five crore Kannadigas.

The third is "attack the Backward Class/SC/ST and marginalised sections by a fabricated design to tarnish the image of India’s senior most Backward Class chief minister Siddaramaiah. Such fabricated and manufactured conspiracies will get shredded to pieces in the people's court."

Surjewala affirmed that the Congress party and its government will never permit the BJP to succeed in its evil design to stop the Congress' guarantees.

"We shall fight the battle legally as also in the court of the people of Karnataka and the Country. Truth shall prevail. Satyamev Jayate!," he added.