BENGALURU: The opposition in Karnataka led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), have launched a seven-day 'Mysuru Chalo' march from Bengaluru, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over allegations of his involvement in an illegal site allotment scam within the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The march, which began on Saturday with BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and JD(S) Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy leading the charge, is set to culminate in a large public meeting in Mysuru on August 10.

The BJP and JD(S) claim that Siddaramaiah’s wife, Parvathi, was improperly awarded housing sites by MUDA as compensation for land acquired by the authority. BJP leaders have accused the Congress-led state government of engaging in corruption from the outset, alleging that taxpayer money is being misused for electoral purposes. They also claim that funds from the Valmiki Corporation were improperly spent on personal luxuries like liquor, cars, and gold.

In response, the Congress party has dismissed these accusations, asserting that the BJP is attempting to destabilize the state government without providing substantial evidence. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress state president D.K. Shivakumar criticized the opposition's efforts, stating that the BJP and JD(S) are "daydreaming" if they think they can destabilize the government. He remarked, "Our government is not so fragile that it can be easily broken. They won’t succeed in their attempts against the government led by Siddaramaiah and myself."

Defending the Chief Minister in the MUDA case, Shivakumar explained that Siddaramaiah’s wife received a gift deed from her brother and that there was nothing improper about it. He further noted, “She is merely seeking fair compensation for land that was encroached upon by MUDA. The sites in question were actually allotted during the BJP's tenure, and Siddaramaiah has not signed any documents related to this matter.”