Karnataka Congress to hold Raj Bhavan chalo on Saturday to press for prosecution of Kumaraswamy

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar will lead a Congress party march to Raj Bhavan on August 31 to press for sanction of prosecution of Union Heavy Industries & Steel Minister HD Kumaraswamy in a mining lease case, among others.

Weeks after the BJP led a week-long padayatra to Mysuru from Bengaluru seeking the CM’s resignation in a case of allotment of 14 plots to his wife in Mysuru, the Congress has planned a counter-event to bring pressure on Governor Thawarchand Gehlot. The ruling party has employed a series of strategies to corner the Governor after he permitted prosecution of the CM as sought by three activists in the case of allotment of plots.

The recent BJP padayatra and counter rallies by the Congress had turned into a personal war of words between Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, who is also the JDS state president. Shivakumar, who is also the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), devoted a large part of his media conference on Tuesday to attacking the union minister.



The 250-metre Raj Bhavan chalo will seek the Governor’s permission for prosecution in all cases where the investigations are over and the authorities have made a formal proposal seeking the same, Shivakumar said, while adding that the Lokayukta SIT has asked for permission for Kumaraswamy as well as former BJP ministers Murugesh Nirani, Shashikala Jolle and G Janardhan Reddy.

All Congress MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers will take part in the event. The CM and all ministers will meet the Governor and submit a memorandum. “The Governor has not granted sanction in cases where investigation is completed. But though there has not been any preliminary inquiry, he has permitted prosecution of the CM.


Shivakumar referred to Kumaraswamy’s case and said the Lokayukta SIT has submitted a 218-page inquiry report to the Governor related to a case of mining lease in support of its request.

Shivakumar countered the JDS state unit president’s statement that he had never signed the file related to the mining lease and the one in the file was a forged one. The Dy CM sought to know from Kumaraswamy why he had not filed a police complaint or sought a probe into the forgery. He was free even now to give a letter seeking investigation, he added.