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The order, which criticised the ED for being used in political battles, has landed in CM Siddaramaiah’s favour at a time when his hold over the CM’s chair was being questioned
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah during a visit to Kabini dam to offer ‘bagina’ to River Kapila, in Karnataka’s Mysuru district. (Image: PTI)
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Karnataka High Court’s ruling, which quashed the ED’s plea to issue notices and summon Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife BM Parvathi in the MUDA land allotment case, has brought temporary legal relief and fresh political momentum.
For Siddaramaiah, the timing could not have been more strategic. The pressure from his deputy DK Shivakumar’s camp to honour an “unwritten” power-sharing formula has been intense.
The Supreme Court order, which criticised the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for being used in political battles, has landed squarely in Siddaramaiah’s favour, strengthening his position just when his hold over the chief minister’s chair was being questioned.
“This is a shot in the arm. The timing couldn’t be better,” said a close aide of Siddaramaiah, as talk of a mid-term transfer of power to Shivakumar resurfaced in party circles.
At the heart of the controversy is the decision to allot 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore to BM Parvathi as compensation for land inherited from her family and acquired by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Although this decision was made during the BJP’s tenure, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India flagged procedural irregularities, opening the door for political attacks.
The issue escalated when the ED entered the scene, summoning Parvathi and minister Byrathi Suresh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This brought the fight to the chief minister’s doorstep, marking the first time a member of his family was directly in the spotlight.
For someone who has built his reputation on a clean image without corruption charges, the MUDA case damaged his image. Even within the Congress, there were murmurs about whether he had slipped.
The Supreme Court, however, firmly dismissed the ED’s appeal while the Chief Justice of India (CJI) made a blunt remark: “Let political battles be fought amongst the electorate. Why are you being used for it?”
Siddaramaiah called it the “slap of justice” on the face of the BJP and accused the Centre of engineering a political vendetta. The emotional tone of his response, that the case caused “immense mental distress” to his family, was also politically calculated.
He is once again positioning himself as the Congress CM who can stare down the BJP. A senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, said: “He’s the only one who can look Modi in the eye and say what he wants. The CBI and ED can’t touch him as he has remained non-corrupt, and this verdict reinforces that image. He’ll use this to raise his profile in the state as well as nationally.”
In Delhi, the messaging has been equally clear. At the recent Congress OBC Advisory Council meeting in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah not only presided but did so with the weight of someone not planning to exit.
Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior Congress leaders pronounced Siddaramaiah as the CM, while insiders said that he made it clear to the high command, during the closed-door meetings, that he will abide by their decision but hopes to finish his five-year term.
The Shivakumar factor, however, remains unresolved. What will be the stance when the high command asks Siddaramaiah to hand over the reins to his current deputy?
At a Sadhana Samavesha event in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah’s refusal to even name his deputy on stage raised eyebrows and confirmed what many have suspected. When reminded by a party worker to include Shivakumar’s name in his speech, he said: “DK Shivakumar is in Bengaluru and not on stage. We only welcome those present here. We cannot extend greetings to someone sitting at home.”
It wasn’t just irritation. It was a signal. With pressure building from Shivakumar’s supporters and talk of rotation agreements resurfacing, Siddaramaiah’s very public rebuke made one thing clear: he’s not going anywhere.
The MUDA case had put Siddaramaiah in a tight spot, not just as CM, but on a personal level. It also came at a time when he took over the reins as the Congress CM for the second time, particularly as a strong OBC leader alongside Kharge. The fact that it involved his wife, even if the land was later returned, complicated the narrative and the “clean record” he had spent years cultivating.
“The best part about Siddaramaiah is his moral clarity. He’s never wavered from his support for marginalised communities and backward classes. He represents a voice that has long been ignored and maligned,” said political analyst Harish Ramaswamy. “Unlike many OBC leaders, Lalu and others, who’ve been tainted by scams, Siddaramaiah has largely kept a clean image. That’s what gives him the moral strength to challenge even PM Modi.”
Ramaswamy said in the MUDA case, too, his wife should have avoided the allotment altogether. “That is one visible weak spot. When I’ve met him, even in his own home, it’s clear that he keeps his wife away from public life. So, this case came as a surprise. Fourteen sites allotted to her raised questions. It perplexed many,” he said.
So, will the Supreme Court ruling help him in the long run? It looks like.
“It definitely will. He’s the kind of leader who knows how to use a moment like this. He speaks his mind, takes on the RSS and BJP openly, and nobody can intimidate him, not the CBI, not any agency, as he prides himself on his clean, corruption-free image,” he added.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t…Read More
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t… Read More
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