Mysuru (Karnataka) [India]: Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Friday accused opposition parties of corruption during their tenure in the state, highlighting numerous allegations against top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS).
Patil stated, “The BJP should reflect on their own record. What was their reputation when they were in power? From 2008 to 2013, Karnataka had one of the most corrupt governments under the BJP, and their last tenure from 2019 to 2023 further tarnished the state’s image, branding them as the ‘40% government’.”
He also pointed to corruption allegations against former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, his son B. Y. Vijayendra, and JDS leader H. D. Kumaraswamy.
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar claimed he was informed by officials about de-notification cases against Union Minister and JDS leader H. D. Kumaraswamy.
Speaking at the Janandolana event in Mysuru on Friday, Shivakumar said, “Kumaraswamy calls himself ‘Clean Swamy,’ but officials have told me he has 50 cases of de-notification against him. I will expose his corruption.”
The Deputy Chief Minister also mentioned that the Lokayukta has written to the Governor regarding the matter, alleging that Kumaraswamy “has taken refuge in the BJP” because of these allegations.
“Kumaraswamy initially accused me of releasing Prajwal Revanna’s pen drive and later blamed Preetham Gowda. He doesn’t allow anyone else to grow in JDS. He even stifled Siddaramaiah’s growth,” Shivakumar added.
“None of the 17 MPs from JD-S during Deve Gowda’s tenure as Prime Minister are with the party today. Kumaraswamy backstabbed Yediyurappa by not transferring power as agreed.
He didn’t even spare his own brother’s son for the sake of his son’s political future, so how will he spare me and Siddaramaiah? He cannot digest that an OBC leader has become CM for the second term,” Shivakumar said.
He also accused the BJP of trying to destabilise governments through ‘Operation Lotus’, but asserted, “The British couldn’t destabilise Congress for 200 years; how can you dethrone Congress today? Congress will rule for 10 years.”
Further emphasising the results of the 2023 state assembly elections, Shivakumar said, “The people of Karnataka gave us 43% of the votes in 2023 and 45% in 2024. If Kumaraswamy thinks he can destabilise the government, he’s under an illusion. Not just for 10 months, Congress will rule Karnataka for another 10 years.”
Shivakumar dismissed allegations of irregularity in the MUDA case involving the CM’s wife, stating, “The CM’s wife received compensation from MUDA for the land she lost. It was MUDA’s mistake for encroaching on her land. Why are BJP and JDS trying to label it a scam? Moreover, the sites were allotted during the BJP’s tenure. BJP and JDS have 25 scams under their belt but are unsuccessfully trying to manufacture a scam in MUDA.”
He further added, “In 2010, we led a Padayatra against the Bellary mining scams, and now we are fighting against the anti-constitutional BJP. The BJP and JDS are on a ‘Papapayatra,’ not a Padayatra. This is a fight between good and evil, and good will eventually triumph. The Congress party, under the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, is fully behind CM Siddaramaiah. The opposition can’t do anything to him.”
Shivakumar concluded by saying, “The Congress party is the strength and history of this country. It protects the interests of all sections of society. The BJP and JDS are trying to dethrone this government, which is safeguarding the lives of the poor.”
Earlier this month, Congress launched the ‘Jan Andolan Yatra’ to counter the BJP’s Padayatra, which highlights the alleged MUDA “scam” involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, B. M. Parvathi. A complaint was filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna against the Karnataka CM and nine others, accusing them of forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.
The complaint alleges wrongdoing by Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathi, his brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, and his family, claiming that MUDA created fake documents to obtain plots worth crores of rupees. Snehamayi Krishna has raised several questions in his complaint.
The BJP has demanded that the land given to the CM’s family be returned, accusing Siddaramaiah of usurping lands that belonged to the Dalit community.