Bengaluru, June 24 (UNI) BJP Karnataka president Vijayendra Yediyurappa on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, citing a "total collapse of governance" and widespread corruption across departments, in the backdrop of the explosive "BR Patil" audio clip and the "Raju Kage" resignation threat that have stirred political controversy in the state.
Addressing a press conference here, Vijayendra said the recent developments only reaffirm the BJP’s long-standing charge that corruption has been institutionalized under the Congress-led administration.
"The entire state machinery is paralysed. Transfer mafias, sand mafias, misuse of public funds – corruption is not an exception, it is now the rule in Karnataka. Ministers are running their departments like commission shops, and the Chief Minister is silently watching. This is nothing short of complicity,” he alleged.
Vijayendra said the audio clip – in which a conversation allegedly discusses money transfers and departmental deals – has exposed how deep the rot runs. “These are not isolated statements. The ‘BR Patil’ clip and ‘Raju Kage' remark clearly show that corruption is being openly discussed and normalized within the Congress leadership,” he added.
He demanded Siddaramaiah’s immediate resignation and said that if he fails to do so, the BJP would appeal to the Governor to intervene constitutionally in the interest of the state.
The BJP leader particularly pointed to alleged irregularities in the Housing Department, claiming that funds worth thousands of crores had been siphoned off under minority welfare schemes, bypassing Finance Department approval.
"People across Karnataka are watching this corruption unfold. This is not about one department — it's every department. Governance has collapsed under Siddaramaiah,” he said.
Vijayendra also accused the Chief Minister of scapegoating the Centre to divert public attention. “Whenever questions are raised, Siddaramaiah blames the Centre. But the truth is, the state has failed to provide matching grants for schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission and national highway projects,” he said.
Despite Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s commitment to infrastructure development, he added, Karnataka’s lack of cooperation in land acquisition and funding has stalled progress.
He said the BJP would escalate the matter both inside the Assembly and on the streets. “We have already launched protests at the gram panchayat level. As a responsible opposition, we will not remain silent,” he said.
Responding to Deputy CM Dr G Parameshwara’s recent assurance that the government would bring out a white paper on corruption, Vijayendra said, “Let them release it. But the reality is that under Siddaramaiah’s leadership, every department has been turned into a den of loot. This is not governance — this is licensed plunder.”
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