MYSURU: Union minister HD Kumaraswamy has made baseless allegations that CM Siddaramaiah, during his tenure as DCM, had built a house on land allotted by MUDA in Vijayanagar to a Dalit with physical disability, KPCC spokesperson M Lakshmana said.
Speaking to reporters in front of the said house on Tuesday, Lakshmana said Kumaraswamy is popular for “making hit-and-run statements”. “If he proves that Siddaramaiah snatched land belonging to a Dalit, we will ensure that he resigns from the CM’s post, but if Kumarawamy fails to prove it, then he should resign from the post of Union minister. Kumaraswamy must stop making baseless allegations against Siddaramaiah. If he spreads false information by releasing fake documents, we will pursue legal action,” he said.
Lakshmana said, “The land belongs to Sakamma, grandmother of Congress leader Rakesh Papanna. In 1950, Puttegowda had divided the land in survey number 70/4 and given it to his children Chikkathammaiah and Sakamma, and each got 30 guntas.
The land survey number was changed to 70/4A (Sakkamma) and 70/4B (Chikkathammaiah). In 1967, Sakamma gave 10 guntas of land each to her sister’s two children and kept the remaining 10 guntas with herself. In 1984, MUDA notified the land belonged to Chikkathammaiah and awarded him Rs 11,700 in 1986. In 1997, Sakamma sold her land to Siddaramaiah, who constructed a house on 100x120 sqft, with a loan from Merchants Coop Bank,” he said.
Lakshmana said that after the bank issued notice to Siddaramaiah for not repaying the loan, he sold the house to Khodays in 1999 for Rs 98 lakh, to clear the loan. But in 2018, RTI activist Gangaraju sought details of the survey 70/4. MUDA authorities gave information regarding 70/4B, which belonged to Chikkathammaiah and was notified. So he filed a complaint in the civil court in Mysuru, alleging that Siddaramaiah has constructed a house on notified land.
The court judge directed Lakshmipuram police to probe the case and submit a B report. But the district court judge, without considering the police report, gave an order against Siddaramaiah, leading to an FIR. In 2019, Siddaramaiah challenged the district court order in the High Court, which dismissed the case, he said.