Siddaramaiah questions Modi's silence on Hindenburg report, Manipur violence

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday, 28 September, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the Hindenburg report and the Manipur violence, as he hit back at the latter, for raising the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case against him, to target the Congress during poll campaign in Haryana.

Alleging that there are many corrupt people in the BJP, he asked the prime minister to correct things within his party first.

"There are many corrupt people in his party (BJP). Let him correct it first. Why doesn't Narendra Modi speak about Hindenburg (report)? on Manipur? Why hasn't he visited Manipur? Rahul Gandhi (Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha) has raised these issues. Why doesn't he speak on that?" Siddaramaiah asked in response to a question by reporters.

Targeting the Congress over the issue of corruption, Modi, addressing a poll rally in Haryana's Sonipat on Wednesday, had cited an example of Congress-ruled Karnataka, saying chief minister Siddaramaiah was facing an accusation of land scam and even the high court has also stated that the probe against him was right.

Lokayukta police on Friday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Siddaramaiah and others in the MUDA site allotment case, following a special court in Bengaluru on Wednesday ordering a Lokayukta police probe against him.

The order of the special court judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the high court upheld the sanction granted by governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife B.M. Parvathi by MUDA.

The special court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.

On Congress MLA and senior advocate A.S. Ponnanna meeting him on Saturday, following the FIR, the chief minister said, "he is my legal advisor. I discuss with him every day. His visit is not special. Every day he discusses things with me. He was on his way to his constituency (Virajpet), as I was in Mysuru he met me."

Responding to a question on certain allegations made against him by JD(S) leader and Union minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Siddaramaiah said, "Kumaraswamy only speaks lies. I cannot respond to all that he says. I won't respond."