Karnataka Governor grants nod to try CM Siddaramaiah in land allotment ‘scam’

Aksheev Thakur

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 17

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on Saturday granted sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment ‘scam’. Terming the decision unconstitutional, Siddaramaiah accused the Governor of acting as the Centre’s puppet and said the decision would be challenged legally.

Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi is accused of getting compensatory sites with higher value allotted in an upmarket area of Mysuru in lieu of her land “acquired” by MUDA.

Unconstitutional

This is an unconstitutional move and we will challenge it legally. Siddaramaiah, Karnataka CM

The Governor’s decision triggered a political slugfest with the Congress alleging attempts to destabilise the government and the BJP pushing for the CM’s resignation. The BJP top brass called for Siddaramaiah’s ouster to enable a fair probe, while the Congress, led by party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, said “BJP-appointed Governors were creating trouble, and that the CM would stay”.

Without commenting directly on the Governor’s decision, Kharge claimed the NDA government had been “misusing the Governor’s office against non-BJP governments, such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Karnataka”.

“There is a conspiracy to misuse the Governor’s office to destabilise the government in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah is our CM and he will continue to be so. The INDIA bloc has also expressed solidarity with the CM,” said Shivakumar.

BJP chief JP Nadda took the opportunity to attack the Congress, saying its “legacy of corruption continues!” “From National Herald to MUDA scam, Congress’ history with corruption is well-documented. Time and again, they have betrayed the trust of the people. While the party portrays itself as the guardian of Dalits and minorities, one of their own CMs is involved in grabbing land from a Dalit family,” he added.

Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra said CM’s resignation would allow a transparent and unbiased investigation. “The Governor has exercised his constitutional powers. Given the substantial evidence and serious allegations of corruption and favoritism within the Congress government, it is crucial the CM steps down,” he said.

Shivakumar argued that a competent government agency should have conducted a preliminary investigation before the Governor went ahead with his decision. “The Karnataka Lokayukta had sought permission from the Governor to prosecute Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy; former ministers Shashikala Jolle and Murugesh Nirani; and BJP leader Janardhan Reddy. In all these cases, preliminary investigation has been completed before seeking permission for prosecution from the Governor. The Governor is yet to grant permission for prosecution in these cases.”

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya dismissed Congress accusations of the sanction being politically motivated and said the scam was serious as it involved the CM and his family. “MUDA constitutes a scam amounting to Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crores,” they alleged.

The BJP said when Siddaramaiah was Deputy CM, the land was denotified and subsequently purchased by his son-in-law. “After Siddaramaiah became CM, the land was gifted to Parvathi Siddaramaiah. Later, she applied for compensation from MUDA and received 14 prime plots in return,” Tejaswi Surya, who is also the BJYM chief.

Patra alleged that it was evident the value of the plots allocated to Parvathi in compensation far exceeded the actual compensation amount.

MUDA ROW

• Under 50:50 scheme, Mysuru Urban Development Authority acquired land for residential projects and compensated owners with land elsewhere
• CM’s wife Parvathi accused of getting 14 sites of higher value in prime South Mysuru locality in lieu of 3.1 acres she owned at a village in 2021
• Scheme was introduced in 2009, but BJP govt scrapped it in 2020; it is alleged Parvathi became beneficiary even after the scheme was scrapped