Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS): Karnataka BJP staged a protest in Bengaluru on Monday and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to resign, saying that Siddaramaiah’s mask of socialism has fallen.
The BJP, along with JD(S), staged the protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the premises of the Vidhana Soudha.
Holding placards, the BJP alleged that Siddaramaiah has “swallowed” the land belonging to Dalits. “Siddaramaiah’s mask of socialism has fallen. He should resign and go home,” BJP state chief Vijayendra said.
He said that the fight against the Congress government has now reached its logical conclusion. “Thousands of crores worth of plots have been swallowed in the MUDA case and we are demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation,” he said.
Vijayendra said that instead of resigning from the Chief Minister’s post, Siddaramaiah has resorted to “hooliganism”.
“He should stop accusing the Governor and step down immediately. The Congress government is by the corrupt, for the corrupt, and of the corrupt,” Vijayendra said.
He added that Siddaramaiah and the Congress should come out of the “delusion” that the party high command will save them while ministers and MLAs will back them also.
“Face the law. Your arrogance is unacceptable. Accept your wrongdoing, resign from your post and face legal action,” Vijayendra said.
Karnataka Leader of the Opposition (LoP) R. Ashoka said thousands of crores have been looted in the MUDA case while Rs 187 crore scam has taken place in the Welfare Tribal Welfare Board.
“People want Siddaramaiah to step down. The Chief Minister must resign immediately. The Assembly gave him a chance to prove his innocence. Instead, he ran away without clarifying,” Ashoka said.
He also criticised Congress on their protests, saying that their protests are leading to a breakdown of law and order in the state.
He urged the Governor to impose the President’s rule immediately in the state, adding that the public has become aware of the “loot”, “corruption”, and “theft” happening under the Congress government.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy warned that disrespecting the Governor, a constitutional post, is an insult to the Constitution itself.
He accused Siddaramaiah of “destroying” the Dalit community. “You have skinned the Dalits who believed in you and made sandals out of their skins,” he alleged.
Former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said that if a preliminary examination reveals evidence, the Governor has the right to initiate an investigation on his own accord.
“Siddaramaiah has not responded to the notice and the Governor has acted legally. If Siddaramaiah truly wants to be a modern-day 'Satya Harishchandra' (a symbol of truth), he should honourably resign from his position,” he said.
Former BJP Minister Araga Jnanendra alleged as soon as the MUDA case broke out, the Urban Development Minister rushed to Mysuru and took the files with him to destroy the records and evidence.
BJP Legislative Council member C.T. Ravi said the “guarantee” is not a license for Siddaramaiah to engage in corruption and he cannot get away with “looting”.
BJP MLA Arvind Bellad said that Siddaramaiah’s government has been plagued with numerous scandals and scams.
JD-S leader Krishna Reddy said that the NDA will continue to fight until the Chief Minister resigns.