Bengaluru, Feb 19 Reacting to the clean chit given by the Karnataka Lokayukta to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on Wednesday that only an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) can reveal the truth.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka said: "This is a conspiracy to cover up the case. Police officers seeking transfers and promotions have given the clean chit in return. The truth can only come out through a CBI investigation. The Lokayukta report conveniently blames the officers while portraying CM Siddaramaiah’s family as innocent. This is not just a clean chit; the officers have washed away their offences.
"If there was nothing wrong in the case, why did CM Siddaramaiah hire expensive, high-profile advocates? The case could have been fought by local lawyers. This is a pre-planned report. If he was not guilty, why were 14 sites returned? The Lokayukta claims that A1 (CM Siddaramaiah), A2 (his wife B.M. Parvathi), and A3 (his brother-in-law Mallikarjunaswamy) are not guilty."
Slamming the Karnataka Chief Minister, the BJP leader further said: "The layout, land transfer is a scam, yet the Lokayukta claims ignorance. CM Siddaramaiah is no fool to get caught directly in the scandal - he has not made a single call or written a letter.
"We are deeply disappointed with the Lokayukta report, but Congress leaders are even more distressed. Those who had aspirations of becoming Chief Minister have lost sleep over this. Their dreams have been shattered. We are organising a meeting in Bengaluru on Thursday to discuss the MUDA case."
Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, insisted that a CBI probe would expose the illegalities of the MUDA scam.
"The Congress' opposition to a CBI investigation is surprising. What about the CBI probes conducted during the Congress rule? Did they misuse the agency?” he questioned.
"Our fight against the MUDA scam will continue. We will deliberate within the party on how to pursue the matter legally and decide our next course of action. We marched from Bengaluru to Mysuru, CM Siddaramaiah's hometown, demanding justice. Initially, he claimed he had no connection to the MUDA case. Later, he returned 14 sites, and now the Lokayukta has given him a clean chit. Where is the justice in this? This outcome was expected," Narayanaswamy remarked.
“We have maintained that unless the case is handed over to the CBI, the truth will not come out. CM Siddaramaiah even went to court to prevent a CBI probe. He hired top legal experts and spent huge sums to fight the investigation. He should have resigned when the allegations surfaced. This case has been systematically buried,” he asserted.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his family members have been given a clean chit by the Karnataka Lokayukta in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam case.
The Karnataka Lokayukta, which investigated the matter, has issued a clean chit to CM Siddaramaiah and the other accused.
This was conveyed in a notice to the petitioner, Snehamayi Krishna, on Wednesday.
The Lokayukta has instructed Snehamayi Krishna to approach the magistrate within a week of receiving the notice if he wishes to oppose the findings.
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