Governor being misused: Priyank Kharge on action against Siddaramaiah

Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Saturday said not only Raj Bhavan, but the Governor himself was being misused by the BJP to target Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scam.
Speaking at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2024, Kharge scotched speculation of a leadership change in Karnataka and stressed that Siddaramaiah had the backing of the Cabinet and the Congress MLAs.
“There won’t be any change, absolutely not. The entire Cabinet and the legislature party are behind Siddaramaiah. The BJP is spreading all these rumours,” Kharge, who is the minister for electronics and IT, said.
Kharge said it had become BJP’s SOP (standard operating procedure) to use central agencies like the CBI and ED in states where the party is weak.
“Look what is happening in Delhi, Jharkhad, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Wherever the BJP is weak, they use the CBI, ED, and Income Tax department. If that doesn’t work, they use the Governor’s office. Not only the Governor’s office, but the Governor is also being misused by the BJP in the Siddaramaiah case,” he said.
The opposition and some activists have alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 premium land sites to Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi. Last month, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot gave approval for his prosecution in the case. The matter is being heard by the Karnataka High Court.
On allegations of dynastic politics by the BJP, Priyank, who is the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, said he was “elected and not selected”. “I have not come through the backdoor or through nomination. I lost my first election. I rose through student politics. All of these are usually asked for Congress people and not for BJP leaders,” Kharge said.
He said the question of dynastic politics was never directed at the BJP.
“When Jay Shah (son of Amit Shah), who has not held a bat in his life, can become the BCCI chairperson, Priyank Kharge cannot become an MLA or minister. BY Vijayendra, with no qualifications, becomes the state BJP president. Anurag Thakur played just one Ranji match and scored 0 off 7 balls, and then he became Himachal cricket association president,” the Congress leader said.
Underscoring that the mantra of the government was “skill locally, work globally”, the Karnataka IT minister said he wanted Kannadigas to become the most employable human resource in the world.
“Other states are postioning themselves as investment destinations. We are positioning as a state for skill and knowledge development,” he said.
Asked about the controversy regarding the bill mandating reservations for locals in the private sector, Kharge said it was put on hold as there was no interministerial consultation.
“The bill was brought by the Labour Department. There was no interministerial consultation. It is my job to create as much employment for our people. Only a few states like Karnataka are propelling India’s economy. Its collateral benefit is being reaped by every Indian,” he said.
The bill, which proposed appointment of Kannadigas to 50 per cent of management positions and 75 per cent of non-management positions in the private sector, was put on hold amid a massive backlash from the industry.