BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda on Sunday charged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with turning a blind eye to corrupt ministers and described him as the Manmohan Singh of Karnataka.

Speaking at the inauguration of a workshop on the life of Pundit Deendayal Upadhyaya, he said Siddaramaiah has been maintaining silence like the prime minister on the issue of corruption. Though there are serious allegations against Infrastructure Minister Santosh Lad, he has remained silent, he alleged.

“Siddaramaiah is the chief minister only for namesake. Decisions are being taken by others on his behalf. Efforts are being made to use the chief minister as a remote control,” Gowda alleged. The letter written by freedom fighter H S Doreswamy on the alleged involvement of Lad in illegal mining is factual.

The Karnataka High Court too has made some observations in this regard. However, Siddaramaiah is keeping silence, he added.

Siddaramaiah has changed a lot in six months. He was acting like a Yakshagana artiste and vehemently used to oppose illegal mining. Gowda had taken out a padayatra to Bellary from Bangalore on the issue. But the things have changed now. Besides, there is utter chaos among officials in the government on the issue of transfer.

The government is forced to withdraw its own orders on the police transfers.
“There were high hopes on Siddaramaiah. But people are disappointed and disillusioned. Differences have cropped up between the chief minister and the State Congress president G Parameshwara,” Gowda alleged.