Siddaramaiah's survival trick
THE PRO-PEOPLE TRICKSiddaramaiah's government first sought to negotiate a middle ground, offering to pare down the area to be acquired. Then the CM finally announced the acquisition would be dropped entirely, winning applause from agitators and freeing the Congress from a tricky lair.The feelgood phase was capped on July 21, as the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the Enforcement Directorate on its money-laundering charges against the CM's wife, B.M. Parvathi. After its case sparked a raging controversy, she had returned the housing sites allotted to her by the Mysore Urban Development Authority in 2021, and then successfully challenged the ED summons in the Karnataka High Court.Now, the SC has issued a strong caution to the agency against being 'used' for 'political battles'. Says the CM: 'This verdict has exposed the malice behind the case and unequivocally cleared our names.' Siddaramaiah called it a painful chapter—a useful metaphor for a whole phase he seems to have turned the page on. Well, at least for now.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InMust Watch
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