Bengaluru, May 28 (IANS) The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for saying that the BJP is corrupt, and reminded him of the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, where his family members returned 14 illegally allotted sites.

CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said at an event that “the most corrupt people on this earth are these BJP leaders,” and added that corruption had not escalated in the state until the BJP came to power.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) R. Ashoka, while chiding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as the “noble soul”, said, “The ‘noble soul’ who once spent his entire life fighting against the Congress party – dubbed the father of corruption — but later joined the same swamp for the sake of power. That very ‘noble soul’ talking about corruption is the biggest irony of this century.”

“The ‘noble soul’ who returned 14 illegally acquired sites worth crores after getting caught in the MUDA scam, and who continues to hold office despite having admitted on the floor of the Assembly that hundreds of crores were misused in the Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation, is now talking about corruption,” Ashoka mocked.

“Mr. CM Siddaramaiah, it’s not us saying that Karnataka became number one in corruption under your rule—it’s your own senior party MLA and financial advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddy, who gave you that certificate. Do you need a mirror to see a boil on your own palm?” Ashoka asked.

Ashoka further questioned, “Let that be. Why did you not induct the honourable Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, who was a six-time MLA in 2013, into your cabinet during your first term as Chief Minister? Was it because D.K. Shivakumar was considered corrupt?”

“Please clarify,” Ashoka demanded of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

CM Siddaramaiah made these comments while speaking about the contributions of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and accused the BJP of trying to undermine his legacy. “The BJP people are the most corrupt people on earth. If there is anyone who is most corrupt, it is the BJP and RSS members. They are responsible for the rise of corruption in the country. Before the BJP assumed power, corruption was not rampant in our state,” the CM stated.

–IANS

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