Siddaramaiah has hit back, saying his wife got compensation when the BJP was in power
A social activist has filed a police complaint against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi and two others, accusing them of involvement in the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.
In his complaint filed at Vijayanagar police station in Mysuru, activist Snehamayi Krishna has alleged that the Congress veteran, his wife, MUDA officials and other administrative officials are involved in the alleged irregularities. Police have not registered a fresh FIR, saying that an investigation into alleged MUDA irregularities is already on.
The Background
The fresh complaint comes against the backdrop of the BJP leader's allegations that Ms Parvathi benefited from alleged irregularities in MUDA's land allotment. BJP leaders have said influential people, including the current Chief Minister's wife, received prime property in Mysuru as compensation for land MUDA acquired for layout development. They allege that the value of land provided as compensation is much more than the land acquired and that this caused a loss of Rs 4,000 crore to the state exchequer.
Charge Against Siddaramaiah Wife
Siddaramiah has said the land his wife received compensation for was gifted by her brother Mallikarjuna in 1998. But activist Snehamayi Krishna has alleged that Mallikarjuna bought land in 2004 and gifted it to Parvathi in 2010. This land, he has said, was already denotified but was falsely shown as agricultural land. Later, this was acquired by MUDA for development and Parvathi received 38,283 square feet of prime real estate in south Mysuru in 2021. The activist has alleged that Mallikarjun procured the land illegally and got it registered it using forged documents with the help of government and revenue officials. The land was shown to have been bought in 1998. Parvathi sought compensation for this land in 2014, when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister.
What Has Siddaramaiah Said
In his response to the BJP's offensive, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said his wife was awarded compensation when the BJP was in power and that it was her right. "They (BJP) are the ones who gave the site, now if they call it illegal, how should one respond? They took away our land and parks were made there, and those sites were allocated to others. Should we give up our land because I am the Chief Minister?"
The Opposition's Stand
The BJP has demanded a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities. On the compensation provided to the Chief Minister's wife, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka said, "The land was acquired by MUDA and then denotified. I don't know on whose pressure it was done. After the denotification, MUDA formed a layout, park and playground on that land. This gives rise to many doubts because once it is denotified, MUDA has no right to touch that piece of land, which belongs to a reputed person. Yet, the layout was formed." HD Kumaraswamy, Union minister and leader of BJP ally JDS, has claimed that the MUDA row is an outcome of a power struggle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar.