Is Congress leadership’s silence on Muda case ruining party’s image in Karnataka – Karnataka News

The Muda “scam”, centered around alleged illegal allocation of land plots to the wife of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, shook the state for almost four months. The controversy has recently intensified following the clearance of Lokayukta and Enforcement Directorate (ED) prosecutions and cases against the chief minister. However, the Congress leadership remains silent, which could harm the party’s standing in the state.

Top Congress leaders – Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala – met Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar twice in Delhi to discuss strategy. Yet, despite these meetings, the party high command has remained remarkably silent following the Karnataka High Court’s refusal to stay proceedings in the case and the participation of the Directorate of Execution.

The lack of public defense from Congress leaders appears to have left Siddaramaiah politically isolated. The veteran leader, known for his astute handling of the crisis, was forced to rely on local support to manage the aftermath. However, many in the party feel that the silence of the top brass is harming both the government’s image and the morale of Congress cadres in the state.

Some party leaders have openly expressed their concern. Warning of public backlash, former Congress MP DK Suresh urged political leaders to focus on development and let the courts decide cases and allegations.

“The public is not happy with the way different parties are leveling allegations. If political leaders do not wake up and focus on development, people may take to the streets and, as in the past, they might resort to stone pelting…no matter which party they belong to, be it Congress, BJP or Janta Dal, no one will be spared This unfortunate situation might happen, and I shoot. alarm bells,” Suresh said on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly invoked the Muda “scam” at various political rallies to attack the Congress. Yet neither Rahul Gandhi nor Mallikarjun Kharge came forward to defend Siddaramaiah or counter the BJP’s aggressive rhetoric.

A senior Congress source told India Today that this inaction was creating a “dangerous narrative”. “There are more and more people who think that the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah 2.0 is just a ‘party of loot’. For two and a half months, the entire cabinet has been on the defensive, trying to fend off the allegations instead of focusing on governance,” the leader said.

The frustration within the party is palpable. “We are exhausted from constantly defending the CM. His entourage is responsible for the mess. We were not informed about the CM’s decision to return the controversial site. It came as a complete surprise to us,” said a member of the party. , adding, “Now, in an effort to keep DK Shivakumar on his side, the CM announced during the Mysore Dasara celebrations that the Congress government would complete a 5-year term, without mentioning his own tenure in the government.”

Meanwhile, DK Shivakumar has remained unusually silent on the issue, further heightening the uncertainty around the leadership’s handling of the crisis. Last week, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, when asked about the ED probe into Muda’s ‘scam’, replied vaguely: “We will take a decision when the time comes.”

This indecision leaves many wondering when congressional leadership will intervene decisively. Will they wait until after the Haryana elections? Or will they act before the Maharashtra elections? For now, the lack of clarity and silence from the summit could cost the Congress its hard-earned ground in Karnataka.

The high command has not only remained silent on the Muda issue, but also on the issue of several senior leaders – such as MB Patil, Basavaraj, RB Thimmapura and Basavaraj Rayareddy – openly expressing interest in the chief minister’s post while the scandal continues. fuel political tensions. Instead of rallying behind Siddaramaiah, many leaders appear to be positioning themselves for the top job. The absence of any direction or disciplinary action from the high command against these ministers raises the question as to why it remains silent on the ongoing developments in Karnataka.