Siddaramaiah under fire as Sadananda Gowda, BJP push for his resignation

Since the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam and Valmiki Corporation embezzlement came to light, the BJP has been repeatedly calling for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation. With the MUDA chairman (full name please) Marigowda resigning, the BJP has fresh ammunition to strong-arm Siddaramaiah into resigning.
Former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda demanded that Siddaramaiah step down amid ongoing investigations into the Valmiki Corporation and MUDA land scams.
Gowda accused Siddaramaiah of feeling guilty over misappropriation. “He accepted the guilt on the floor of the house. He’s gone to temples to pray for his guilt. Nagendra has also come out on bail, and Marigowda has resigned. It’s time for Siddaramaiah to step down,” the former Chief Minister said.
Gowda called for Siddaramaiah to retire from politics, emphasizing, “Let him resign until all these scams are sorted.” He highlighted that several individuals have approached the government for permission to prosecute Siddaramaiah in various cases, including the Arkavathy layout scandal.
Gowda made these statements a day after B Nagendra, Congress MLA and former Karnataka minister who was released on bail, spoke in favour of Siddaramaiah.
Talking to the media after his release, Nagendra accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of compelling him to implicate the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in the Valmiki Corporation scam. He said he refused to do so, claiming the BJP was trying to destabilise the Congress government.
Siddaramaiah has been in the eye of a political storm created by several controversies and scams coming to light in the past few months. However, Siddaramaiah remained confident and defiant in face of the mounting pressure.
Addressing the issue, Siddaramaiah asserted: “Any agency involved in this investigation must act impartially.” Siddaramaiah urged the ED to be neutral in their investigation and cited Nagendra’s revelation about ED’s attempts to coerce him.