"This is a 100 percent violation (by Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Yeddyurappa). This is public property, I will fight till the end," Mr Hiremath, the complainant, told NDTV.
Police complaints have been filed against two former Karnataka chief ministers, BS Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy, over an illegal land deal in Bengaluru.
Both are accused of colluding to cancel the acquisition of prime land to benefit Mr Kumaraswamy's relative. Based on a complaint by Jayakumar Hiremath, an activist in Bengaluru, the Lokayukta filed FIRs accusing the two politicians of corruption.
In 2007, Mr Kumaraswamy allowed the denotification of the land that had reportedly been acquired by the Bengaluru Development Authority, when one Mr Rajashekharaiah said he possessed the land. The deal was concluded three years later by Mr Yeddyurappa, says the complaint. The land allegedly went to Ms Vimala, Mr Kumaraswamy's mother-in-law, who now holds the power of attorney on the land.
"This is a 100 percent violation (by Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Yeddyurappa). This is public property, I will fight till the end," Mr Hiremath, the complainant, told NDTV.
The piece of land in contention is a little over an acre and is located in Gangenahalli in northern Bengaluru, on the route to the new international airport. The area has in recent years become a strategic real estate location, and apartment rents there have also risen.
Mr Yeddyurappa and Mr Kumaraswamy were once on cordial terms. They fell out when Mr Kumaraswamy refused to hand over the Chief Minister's post to Mr Yeddyurappa midway through their coalition government as agreed upon. This is not the first time that Mr Yeddyurappa and Mr Kumaraswamy are facing charges on land issues. They've been accused before, too, of using their powers to denotify land to benefit relatives.