BELAGAVI: Political temperatures at the ongoing winter session of the legislature soared after Leader of Opposition in the Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy demanded the resignation of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, alleging that he has illegally acquired ownership rights of a lake and a cemetery in Kolar district, both have reportedly been transferred into the minister’s name.
Addressing a section of the media, Narayanaswamy posed a blunt question that set off a fresh political storm. “How does a cemetery become a minister’s private property? How was government land transferred into his own name,” he asked, accusing the minister of manipulating official records.
According to the Opposition, the disputed properties include a 20.16-acre lake and a 1 acre cemetery in Narasapura village of Kolar district.
Narayanaswamy alleged that both parcels were reclassified as ‘kharab’ land in revenue records, paving the way for their transfer. He demanded a comprehensive government inquiry, immediate restoration of the properties to the state and Krishna Byre Gowda’s resignation on moral grounds.
Documents accessed by The New Indian Express show that Records of Rights (RoR) valid from 2024 list Survey Numbers 46 (20.16 acres) and 47 (one acre) in Narasapura village as belonging to Krishna Byre Gowda, son of late C Byre Gowda. In one document, the word ‘kere’ (lake) has reportedly been struck off, while the other parcel is marked as ‘kharab’ land in brackets.
“Kharab land refers to government land unfit for cultivation. The value of this land runs into crores of rupees,” said Tamesh Gowda, BJP Karnataka state secretary and a former candidate from Byatarayanapura, alleging a serious loss to the public exchequer.
Krishna Byre Gowda responded with a fierce counter, rejecting the allegations as politically motivated and baseless.
He says it’s ancestral property
Accusing BJP of indulging in a “culture of manufacturing allegations by searching for issues that do not exist”, Krishna Byre Gowda categorically denied any encroachment or illegal acquisition.
“The land is neither encroached nor obtained through any government grant. It is ancestral property that has come down from my grandfather to my father and uncle and thereafter to us through lawful partition,” he said. Questioning the very premise of the charge, Byre Gowda pointed out that the property was not of recent origin.
“When the land itself is not newly acquired, how does the question of land grabbing even arise,” he asked. Daring the Opposition to prove its claims, the minister said he has nothing to hide.
“Making reckless allegations just to settle political scores is wrong. If they have evidence, let them submit it to the Lokayukta and seek an investigation,” he said.