SIDDARAMAIAH ON THE BACK FOOT

The new carved rosewood door at the west entrance to the Vidhana Soudha, which greeted members when the House convened for the first day of the monsoon session on July 15, could offer no protection against the storm that was brewing within.

- Ajay Sukumaran

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and its ally Janata Dal (Secular), Karnataka's two Opposition parties, had already been targeting the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government for weeks over issues of alleged corruption. The newly renovated assembly building was sure to get some ceremonial fire to heat up its inauguration. Among the scandals facing the Siddaramaiah government is the alleged embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs 89.63 crore in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd (KMVSTDC).