Suresh burnt MUDA files to save Siddaramaiah; Marigowda to be a scapegoat: Shobha Karandlaje

Bengaluru, Oct. 21 (KMS&DM)- In a blistering attack on Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, Opposition leader in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy accused the Minister of being the mastermind behind the massive MUDA alternative sites allotment scam.

Speaking at a press meet in Bengaluru on Saturday, Narayanaswamy asserted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already raided the MUDA Office and secured several key documents related to the scandal.

Narayanaswamy further alleged that shortly after the scam broke out, Byrathi Suresh flew to Mysuru in a helicopter, collected crucial MUDA documents and transported them to Bengaluru the same day.

He demanded that Suresh be interrogated, claiming the Minister had placed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the precarious situation he now finds himself in. “The real thief is Minister Suresh, who stole MUDA documents and flew to Bengaluru in a helicopter,” Narayanaswamy declared, accusing Suresh of being nothing more than a proxy for CM Siddaramaiah.

Arrest demanded

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje also joined the chorus of allegations on Saturday, accusing Byrathi Suresh of destroying files related to the MUDA case to   save Siddaramaiah.

She claimed, “CM Siddaramaiah, your Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh loaded all files after 1997 into his car and took them away from Mysuru. Where are those files now? To protect you, Suresh burnt them.”

Karandlaje demanded the resignation of CM Siddaramaiah and the arrest of Minister Suresh. She emphasised that the investigation should not be limited to Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law, B.M. Mallikarjunaswamy, who is one of the accused.

“You (Siddaramaiah) must take moral responsibility. You are a criminal. The Governor sanctioned prosecution, the High Court and Special Court condemned you and the Lokayukta launched a probe. Former MUDA Chairman K. Marigowda’s resignation is not enough,” she said.

In a final jab, Karandlaje questioned why Siddaramaiah accepted the resignation of MUDA Chairman K. Marigowda, a close associate. “Are you planning to make him the scapegoat in the scam?” she concluded.