"Attempt to make Karnataka kneel before Delhi durbar": Congress after HC's verdict against CM Siddaramaiah

New Delhi [India], September 24 : Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Karnataka High Court's verdict against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the alleged MUDA scam and said that it is nothing but an attempt to make the state kneel before the "Delhi Durbar."
In a post on X, Venugopal said that the Modi-Shah regime's relentless misuse of the governor's office is a matter of immense concern for our constitutional democracy.
"Governors are mere titular heads and cannot interfere in the day-to-day functioning of state governments, they must adhere to the letter and spirit of the Constitution. The Karnataka Governor is trying his best to destabilise a popular, pro-people government led by a leader who has risen from a humble background to the CM's office. Such attempts only show the BJP's instincts to control Karnataka from Delhi and it is nothing but an attempt to make Karnataka kneel before the Delhi durbar," he said.
He further asserted that the CM Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is a "strong government" that will only listen to the people--not to the bullies of Delhi.
"Our party will fight this both legally and politically, against the Central Government's nefarious motives," he added.
The Congress MP also slammed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi over his recent remarks on secularism.
KC Venugopal said, "Similarly, the Tamil Nadu governor has taken off his mask of neutrality and is openly speaking the RSS voice. Mr. Ravi should know that secularism is part of the basic tenets of the Constitution he has sworn to protect. He should also know that no matter what his BJP-RSS masters tell him, India's rich multicultural ethos has endured through millennia and will not be destroyed no matter what the RSS tries to do. History tells us that India and its people will always reject divisive politics and embrace inclusivity."
Meanwhile, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's petition challenging the approval given by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for conducting an investigation against him in the alleged illegalities in Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotting sites to his wife.
In his judgement, the single judge bench of Justice Nagaprasanna said that the order of sanction for prosecution does not suffer from non-application of mind by the Governor.
It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife in the prime location of Mysuru city. The High Court, in its interim order passed on August 19, had granted a temporary relief to Siddaramaiah by directing a special court in Bengaluru to defer further proceedings and not to take any precipitative action pursuant to the sanction granted by the Governor.