BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday defended allotment of sites to his wife by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
However, he admitted that due to oversight, he did not declare this in his 2013 election affidavit. Subsequently, the same was declared before the Lokayukta, he said.
Addressing reporters along with ministers Byrathi Suresh, HC Mahadevappa and Santosh Lad, the CM released some documents in support of his claims. Slamming BJP and JDS legislators for their allegation that he and his family benefitted from the irregularities in allotment of MUDA sites, Siddaramaiah said it was baseless.
They seem to be disappointed with the results of Assembly elections in 2023 and their parties’ poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Hence, they are trying to damage his clean image as chief minister and his government, he added.
Calling his political journey an open book, the CM said he has been in politics for more than 40 years and had no black spot in his political life. “BJP and JDS leaders, who have lost people’s faith, are trying to gain their trust through foul means,’’ he said.
Did not violate PTCL Act: CM
Siddaramaiah claimed that the land at Kesare in Mysuru was owned by Ninga alias Javara, which he purchased in an auction in 1935. He said this was not government land allotted to SCs, but purchased from original SC owner, who bought it through auction. “It does not violate the Prevention of Transfer of Certain Lands Act,’’ he said.
In 1993, the land was transferred to Devaraj, the third son of Ninga (original owner). MUDA issued a notification to acquire the land in 1992. In 1996, Devaraj submitted an application requesting MUDA not to acquire this land as he and his family depended on it. In 1998, MUDA dropped its move to acquire this land and denotified it. Later, this land was sold to his brother-in-law Mallikarjun Swamy in 2004, six years after its denotification,” he said.
He said Mallikarjun converted this land for non-agricultural purposes and gifted it to his sister Parvathi, who is his (CM’s) wife, in 2010.
The CM said only in 2013-14, Parvathi learnt that this land was converted into sites and sold. “I was CM in 2014 and my wife wrote to MUDA. I did use my office to influence MUDA then. In 2021, my wife filed an application. She did not seek sites in a particular place. It was MUDA’s decision. She had 3.16 acres at Kesare, which is 1.48 lakh sqft and she was given 38,284 sqft (14 sites). Neither me, my wife nor my brother-in-law had any role in it,” he said.
‘HDK among allottees’
Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh on Friday alleged that Union minister HD Kumaraswamy is among JDS and BJP leaders who have been allotted alternative sites in Mysuru by MUDA. Suresh released a list of site allottees of the BJP and JDS parties at a press meet on Friday. P6