Can Siddaramaiah keep CM’s chair, or will a loyalist replace him?

A special court for cases involving MPs/MLAs has ordered an investigation against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, apart from the filing of an FIR in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.

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A day before, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday upheld Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s order allowing an investigation into the allotment of land by the MUDA to his wife, Parvathi Siddaramaiah, when the BJP was in power.

The court directed the state anti-corruption body, Karnataka Lokayukta, to investigate the allegations against the CM, and to provide a report within three months. The Karnataka Lokayukta in Mysuru is required to carry out the investigation under Section 156(3) of the CrPC, which mandates the registration of an FIR.

The police have been directed to file the investigation report by December 24.

Sanctioning the prosecution of the CM, Governor Gehlot had stated that a “neutral, objective, and non-partisan investigation should be conducted”.

Congress with CM

The Congress party is standing by Siddaramaiah, with leaders calling the whole episode a “conspiracy” by the BJP to dislodge non-BJP Chief Ministers across the country. While the ruling Congress is also accusing the Raj Bhavan of “acting at the behest of the BJP-led Centre, trying to dislodge a CM from a Backward Class community and destabilise a democratically elected government,” speculation has been rife for a while over a possible change of guard in Karnataka.

Though perceived as his adversary, Deputy CM and State Congress President DK Shivakumar has also backed Siddaramaiah, terming the case against him “a BJP conspiracy.” Yesterday, KPCC spokesperson M Lakshman insisted that Siddaramaiah would continue as CM and that Congress will always support and stand by him. Party General Secretary KC Venugopal called it “an attempt to target a popular OBC CM by the BJP and derail the ‘guarantees’ being implemented by the state Congress government.”

Stressing that the court had only allowed a probe against him and had not approved the prosecution sanction granted by Gehlot, the CM is said to be exploring legal options.

“The HC ordered an inquiry under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. That does mean that I have committed a mistake. The HC has rejected the prosecution under Section 218 of BNSS and earlier the governor had not issued sanction for the prosecution under Section 19 of the PC Act,” the CM said, adding: “I am confident that the truth will come out and the investigation under 17A of the PC Act will be cancelled. The people of the state are behind me in this political struggle. I believe in law and the Constitution and truth will prevail.”

“Has Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is on bail, resigned from his post at the investigation stage as an FIR has been filed against him? We will face them (BJP and JDS) politically because it is a conspiracy against the ruling Congress government they had hatched,” he was quoted as saying amid the clamour for his resignation, with the BJP and JD(S) leading the charge.

Dent in image?

Coming from a humble background, the two-time CM is among the leading backward-class leaders of the Congress, having carved a special place for himself in state politics with his Ahinda (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) vote base and “untarnished image.”

Sources say Siddaramaiah is hoping that a larger bench of the High Court or the Supreme Court will acquit him of the charges being levelled against him. Being one of the only three states under Congress rule at present, Karnataka is politically crucial for the party. With important Assembly elections lined up in the country, the state becomes even more significant.

So far, Siddaramaiah has withstood the Opposition’s attacks, dismissing the accusations as “baseless” and “vendetta politics” aimed at “destabilising” his government. At the same time, several party leaders and ministers have been issuing statements, openly expressing their desire to step into his shoes if needed.

Interestingly, those expressing a desire to replace him do not include Shivakumar, who is considered his foremost rival within the party. Instead, they include those perceived as his loyalists, such as Home Minister G Parameshwara, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Industries Minister MB Patil, and Basavaraj Rayareddy, the CM’s financial advisor.

According to observers, the statement by these loyalists may be part of a strategy by the Siddaramaiah camp to keep Shivakumar at bay — but this may also hint at a Plan B of the Congress.