Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah rejected the BJP's demand for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the allotment of sites to land losers by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which included a plot allocated to his wife Parvathi, on Thursday. Siddaramaiah firmly denied any wrongdoing and labeled the opposition's allegations as "political."
Addressing the allegations, Siddaramaiah questioned the necessity of his family giving up their land solely because he holds the position of Chief Minister. "Just because I am the Chief Minister, should my family give up our land?" he asked.
The BJP claimed that Parvathi was allotted alternative sites in an upmarket area of Mysuru with higher property value compared to her original land, which had been acquired by MUDA. They demanded Siddaramaiah's resignation over this issue.
MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in exchange for over three acres of her land, which was developed into a residential layout by MUDA. This scheme involves allotting 50 percent of developed land to the landowner in lieu of undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts.
The BJP alleged that irregularities amounting to Rs 4,000 crore had occurred in the distribution of sites to land losers by MUDA. "Apparently 4,500-5,000 sites were allotted by flouting norms," claimed a BJP leader.
In response to these allegations, the BJP staged a protest in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah's home district, and attempted to lay siege to the MUDA office. However, the police detained the party workers and released them later.
Siddaramaiah defended his stance by pointing out the BJP's inaction during their tenure. "Have they (BJP) given any case (to CBI) during their tenure? I have given seven cases (including during my earlier tenure as CM). This is not a case that is to be given to CBI...we too had demanded, did they give (any case to CBI for probe)?" he said, responding to the BJP's demand for a CBI investigation.