BJP Criticizes Congress Over Karnataka's Withdrawal of CBI Consent Amid MUDA Scam Row

The BJP has slammed the Congress for withdrawing the general consent for CBI to probe cases in Karnataka, amidst the MUDA land allotment controversy. They claim this move is an attempt to evade investigations into a fraudulent land allotment scheme involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while citing accusations of corruption within the Congress.

The BJP Friday criticized the Congress over the Karnataka government's decision to withdraw the general consent for the CBI to investigate cases in the state amid the MUDA land allotment row, describing it as a reaction of a ''professional thief and a corrupt party''.

Labelling the Congress government's move as an effort to evade a CBI probe into the MUDA ''scam'' allegedly involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated that the decision itself depicted a ''guilty mind''.

''Thousands of crores have been usurped in the MUDA scam. Following this, the Congress has done what is expected from any certified 'chor and lootera' (thief and robber). To avoid facing the law, it has withdrawn the general consent granted to the CBI to investigate in the state,'' Poonawalla argued.

The Congress is acting like a professional thief and a professional corrupt party. Their attitude and approach in Karnataka and other states where they hold power is to first commit the wrongdoing and then shamelessly defend it,'' Poonawalla added.

Political opponents in Karnataka have accused the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) of fraudulently allocating sites to individuals who lost land due to other developmental projects, including Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi.

(With inputs from agencies.)