Bengaluru, 21 July

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the Supreme Court's dismissal of the ED's appeal to investigate his wife Parvathi BM, in connection with the MUDA site allotment case, is a "slap on the face" of the Central government's "vendetta politics".

Hailing the SC judgment, the CM said it should serve as a wake-up call for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the alleged misuse of Central agencies for "political gain".

“The Supreme Court's historic verdict…. is a resounding slap on the face of the Central Government’s vendetta politics,” Siddaramaiah said on X. “This verdict has not only exposed the malice behind the case but has also unequivocally cleared our names of all the baseless allegations”.

The CM charged that the BJP and its allies, which were unable to defeat him politically, “stooped to misusing Constitutional agencies like the CBI and ED to fabricate baseless cases”.

He termed the case against him as a "disgraceful and cowardly act".

“The mental agony we have been subjected to will forever remain a painful chapter in our lives. The words spoken by Honourable Chief Justice BR Gavai reflect the voice of my conscience and of every Constitution-believing Indian,” he said.

“Even now, after this eye-opening judgment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah must wake up and stop weaponising constitutional agencies for political gain. It is time they restore the autonomy of these institutions and cleanse themselves of the sins of political misuse,” he remarked.

The CM also demanded an apology from the BJP and its ally JD(S) leaders in State, stating that they had relentlessly hurled fabricated allegations at him and his family.

“If they have even an ounce of dignity or shame left, they must come forward and publicly apologise,” Siddaramaiah said.

Similarly, AICC General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP of "manufacturing" false allegations against Siddaramaiah.