Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah strongly defended himself against allegations regarding the allotment of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which allegedly included plots allotted to his wife Parvathi, on Friday. He asserted that neither he nor his family had any involvement in the matter.
Siddaramaiah accused the opposition parties, BJP and JD(S), of making politically motivated allegations against him out of "hate and revenge." He claimed these accusations were attempts to tarnish his reputation as they were unable to accept his second term as Chief Minister, as per a report on PTI.
Stating that Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot has requested a report from the government concerning the alleged irregularities in MUDA, Siddaramaiah assured that a report would be sent, affirming that "everything is totally and absolutely legal." He elaborated, "Is there any role of either mine or my wife or my brother-in-law in this? Our land was taken (by MUDA), sites were made and they were allocated to others. So MUDA gave us (alternate sites) as given to others, after accepting their mistake. What is illegality in this?"
In a detailed statement addressing the allegations made by BJP and JD(S), Siddaramaiah clarified his stance, stating, "Absolutely my role is not there. It is totally and absolutely legal. BJP and JD(S) are indulging in false propaganda for the sake of politics and trying to defame me personally, unable to digest that I have become the Chief Minister for the second time, and as they have lost the 2023 assembly polls and faced a setback in 2024 Lok Sabha polls."
Addressing the legality of the 3.16 acres of his wife's land acquired by MUDA, Siddaramaiah refuted claims that it attracted provisions of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act (PTCL Act). He clarified that the previous owner of the land, Ninga alias Jawara, had purchased it through an auction in 1935, making the allegations baseless.
Siddaramaiah said: "We did not ask alternative sites in any particular area. MUDA accepted its mistake and allotted 14 sites of different dimensions in Vijayanagara 3rd and 4th stage to Parvathi in lieu of their land utilised by it."
Karnataka 'MUDA Scam' Case
The controversy revolves around compensatory sites allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had a higher property value compared to the original location of her land acquired by MUDA. The MUDA allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in exchange for 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout. This scheme allocates 50 percent of developed land to the land loser in exchange for undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts, as per the report.
Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh highlighted that several leaders from opposition parties, or their family members, had also been given alternative sites. These included Union Minister and JD(S) state chief H.D. Kumaraswamy, BJP MLC Manje Gowda, JD(S) MLA and former Minister G.T. Deve Gowda, BJP MLC and former Minister H. Vishwanath, and former JD(S) MLA Sa Ra Mahesh. Suresh emphasized that these allotments were made according to the law and would be reviewed by a judicial commission.