Bangalore:
The misuse of public land by politicians in Karnataka is haunting the government.
Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa stands accused by the Opposition of gifting government land to his family at clearance prices.
Now, a minister in his cabinet, Katta Subramanya Naidu, has quit after he was accused of impersonation, cheating and forgery.
Along with his son, Naidu who was the state's IT minister, allegedly brokered dubious land deals involving the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board.
The case against him was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act based on evidence collected by the team of Karnataka's Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde. The case suggests that Naidu and his son were paid close to Rs 87 crore for allegedly helping a software company circumvent the rules to acquire land for a special economic zone (SEZ). The minister was allegedly paid the bribe through a company he owned by proxy.
Yeddyurappa was nearly sacked by the BJP earlier this month after the Opposition released a series of documents that showed his sons and daughter - and companies linked to them - had been sold land at absurdly low prices. The land had been acquired by the government for public projects.
The fact that Yeddyurappa has been allowed to continue in office by the BJP has given the Congress a point of attack. The Chief Minister has set up a judicial inquiry to examine all public land allotments over the last few years.