Bengaluru, June 10 (PTI) Karnataka BJP on Tuesday demanded Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's resignation, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached 92 properties with a market value of Rs 100 crore in connection in an alleged "scam" in allocation of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) sites, allegedly involving him.
The central agency, which has attached properties worth Rs 400 crore so far, has alleged that the attached properties are registered in the names of entities such as housing cooperative societies and individuals who are "front/dummy" for influential persons, including MUDA officials, ED officers have said.
Taking to 'X' state BJP president B Y Vijayendra said, "The ED's attachment of 92 properties worth Rs 100 crore in the MUDA scam has once again brought to light one of the biggest scams in recent memory. This is the legacy of two years of the Siddaramaiah -led Congress government: a string of scams, a breakdown in governance, and zero accountability from those in power,"
Claiming that when Karnataka BJP launched the Mysuru Chalo Padayatre, it exposed the illegal land allotments and blatant misuse of power, he said, "Later, when the Governor referred the case for investigation, the Congress government didn't cooperate, it challenged the referral in court and staged counter-protests to shield the tainted CM from scrutiny. Every institution meant to uphold justice was pressured to back off."
Now, with the ED's attachment confirming the scale of corruption, this government can no longer hide behind theatrics, the BJP chief said.
"A Chief Minister named in such a serious case has no moral right to remain in office... For the sake of Karnataka's dignity and justice, Siddaramaiah must resign. Enough is enough!" he added.
The ED, in a statement, said, it initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Lokayukta Police, Mysuru under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Siddaramaiah and others.
The ED probe showed "large-scale scam" in allotment of MUDA sites by flouting various statutes and government orders/guidelines, and by other fraudulent means, it said, adding that the role of former MUDA commissioners, including GT Dinesh Kumar, has emerged as instrumental in the illegal allotment of compensation sites to ineligible entities and individuals.