Following a well-established tradition in Karnataka politics, the State leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), began a padayatra (foot march) on August 3 from Bengaluru to Mysuru. They demand Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s resignation over allegations of malfeasance against the Congress government.
The opposition aims to pressure the Congress, particularly Siddaramaiah, whom they accuse of involvement in two scams: The allotment of 14 sites by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to Parvati, Siddaramaiah’s wife, and the alleged awareness of the misappropriation of Rs. 187 crore in the Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
At the padayatra’s start, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said, “Our struggle is for the people who do not have homes because they have not been allotted sites, to protect the money allotted to Scheduled Tribes, to ensure punishment to corrupt officials and to unseat the anti-people Congress from power in Karnataka. Our protest will be taken to its logical end.”
Vijayendra was joined by senior BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, Leader of Opposition R. Ashok, and BJP National General Secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal. Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president H. D. Kumaraswamy also attended, despite his recent indecision, after reportedly being persuaded by BJP’s central leadership. The march passes through the Vokkaliga-dominated south Karnataka, where JD(S) has significant support.
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Karnataka’s Congress leadership has labelled the padayatra a march “of the corrupt, by the corrupt, for the corrupt.” As a counter-offensive, they plan press conferences along the march route to expose alleged BJP-era scams. The Congress also intends to challenge the JD(S) in its stronghold, highlighting the regional party’s perceived loss of independence after its “merger” with the BJP.
The Congress government, which came to power with a massive mandate last year, faced few challenges in its governance as it built its image as a welfare State centred on implementing five key guarantees. The BJP, reeling from its defeat, took months to regroup. Meanwhile, infighting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar remained subdued. However, the situation has changed, and the Congress government’s honeymoon period has ended as it faces serious corruption charges.
For Siddaramaiah, much is at stake. This is the first corruption charge against him in his 40-year public life. Since July, when the opposition raised the issue, Siddaramaiah has forcefully denied the allegations. He claims the land allotments to his wife were compensation for her land acquired by MUDA. He has also framed the accusations as an opposition ploy to unseat him due to his caste, and has played up his backward caste identity. While backward caste leaders have publicly supported him, party insiders suggest some Congress members helped bring the MUDA allotments issue to light. Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a BJP MLA and critic of Yediyurappa’s family, alleged that Vijayendra and Shivakumar planned the padayatra to tarnish Siddaramaiah’s image and force his resignation, allowing Shivakumar to become Chief Minister.
The controversy has reached the Governor’s office. Based on a complaint by activist T.J. Abraham, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot sent Siddaramaiah a show-cause notice regarding the alleged MUDA site allocation irregularities. In response, the Council of Ministers advised the Governor to withdraw the notice on August 1, calling his actions an attack on the Constitution and democracy.
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Shivakumar chaired a meeting (which Siddaramaiah skipped) where he demanded the Governor withdraw the notice and dismiss Abraham’s petition. He questioned the Governor’s haste and accused the central government of using the Governor as a puppet. The Council stressed on the Governor’s constitutional duty to heed government advice. A. S. Ponnanna, the Chief Minister’s Legal Advisor, stated there was no basis for the Governor’s notice and that the cited sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act were inapplicable.
However, B. V. Acharya, former Advocate General of Karnataka, supported the Governor, stating he has the authority to make independent decisions despite the Council’s advice. The Governor’s next move is crucial, as sanctioning Siddaramaiah’s prosecution could lead to a major conflict between the Congress and the BJP with national implications.
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