The Congress is out on a troubleshooting spree in Karnataka, desperate to save the Siddaramaiah government not just from being toppled but also being disgraced. As the Opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) combine is out on the streets to get at Siddaramaiah’s scalp, particularly in the aftermath of governor Thawar Chand Gehlot issuing a show cause notice taking into consideration certain glaring graft charges levelled against the chief minister, the Congress despatched its top-notch troubleshooters, like K.C. Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, to Bengaluru.
Calling the padayatra by the Opposition to demand the resignation of the chief minister a conspiracy to pull down the government, the Congress honchos, including deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, are putting up a brave front, exuding extraordinary confidence. They have also accused the Opposition of being jealous of the government for its new-found popularity through the implementation of the Five Guarantees schemes.
But what they seem to forget is that sleuths of the CID, probing the Rs 92 crore scam in the Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd, have started cracking down and have filed a chargesheet in a local court against 12 persons, including the managing director of the corporation. Former ST welfare minister B. Nagendra, under whom the corporation was functioning, has been arrested by the ED which also questioned the corporation chairman and Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal.
Then there is also another scam on the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority which prompted the Opposition to go on a “Mysore Chalo” footmarch. In such a depressing scenario, should the Congress government not show more transparency and come clean on the charges rather than try to turn the tables on the Opposition? That, too, when the other allegation that looms over Siddaramaiah’s head is that of his wife getting a land allotment meant for land losers. Congress should remember the adage — Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.
