Bengaluru/IBNS: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a "direct debate" on corruption after the latter attacked the Congress leader over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Haryana, Modi said, "Congress government is in power in Karnataka for only two years. Within two years, the Congress has led Karnataka to a dire situation. Congress' Chief Minister is accused of a land scam.

"The Chief Minister moved the High Court challenging the probe. Now the High Court has rejected his plea and cleared that the probe order was justified and investigation should take place. Just two years have passed and Congress is back in corruption."

In a counter, Siddaramaiah said the Prime Minister has no "moral right" to speak on corruption as he too is involved in corruption.

The Chief Minister wrote on X, "Prime Minister @NarendraModi, who is accused by his own party leaders of auctioning off the Chief Minister's post for ₹2,500 crores, has no moral right to speak about corruption! Even after a BJP MLA openly accused his own party of selling the CM post, no action has been taken.

"Day after day, BJP MLAs are involved in corruption, yet Modi remains silent. What’s the reason for this silence, Mr. Modi? Are you complicit in this corruption? You lecture about corruption in your speeches, Mr. Modi. If you can show just one BJP leader in Karnataka without the stain of corruption, we will invite you to Karnataka and publicly honor you!"

Siddaramaiah has also slammed the Prime Minister for allegedly dropping charges against corrupt leaders from the Opposition camp after they switched to Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Congress leader wrote, "You have inducted H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is facing a ₹100 crore illegal mining scam, into your cabinet without hesitation. Doesn't your conscience prickle when you accuse others of corruption? Why is the Honorable Governor turning a blind eye to Lokayukta's request for permission to prosecute in this scam? Who’s pressuring him, Mr. Modi? The nation has watched for the past 11 years as your office has turned into a washing machine, cleaning the corruption stains of opposition leaders who join BJP. Bravo, Mr. Modi!

"Since 2014, more than 25 opposition leaders with corruption allegations have joined your party, and 23 of them have been cleared by central agencies. Isn’t this a miracle? From Himanta Biswa Sarma to Suvendu Adhikari, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan, Narayan Rane, and the latest, Muniratna—how many corrupt leaders have you washed clean in your machine? Is this your idea of public service, Mr. Prime Minister?"

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday rejected the Congress veteran's plea challenging Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot's approval for a probe against the state's administrative head in connection with the alleged irregularities in the land allocation by MUDA.

A Karnataka High Court bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna said the Governor "did apply his mind in abundance" in sanctioning the prosecution.

In a press statement, Siddaramaiah had termed the Governor's decision "anti-Constitution" and "contrary to the law."

Siddaramaiah also alleged that it was a "conspiracy to dislodge a democratically elected government by the BJP, JD(S), and others".

What is the MUDA scam?

The MUDA 50:50 scheme, which was introduced in 2009 but was scrapped in 2020 by the then BJP government, promises land owners 50 percent of the developed land per acre which they give up.

Though it was scrapped in 2020, MUDA continued to allot land under the scheme.

MUDA continued even after the government ordered twice in the last six months asking it to cancel all allotments until clear guidelines are issued.

It is suspected that the sites were alloted to influential people and real estate agents instead of giving them to the eligible beneficiaries.