Congress cites BJP leader R Ashoka's 'gift' to defend CM Siddaramaiah in MUDA case

Bengaluru: Top Congress ministers on Wednesday revived an old case in which now Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka had returned to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) a piece of land he allegedly bought illegally and found relief from the High Court.

Ministers G Parameshwara, HK Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda and Satish Jarkiholi drew a 'moral' parallel between Ashoka's case and the one that Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah faces involving plots that his wife has surrendered to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Ashoka, who has demanded Siddaramaiah's resignation for "admission of guilt" with his wife returning the plots to MUDA, was accused of fraudulently buying 32 guntas of land at Lottegollahalli in Bengaluru North, which the BDA had acquired way back in 1978 to form the RMV 2nd stage layout.

Ashoka went on to gift the land back to the BDA, ostensibly to escape criminal proceedings.

Congress ministers released documents to say that Ashoka purchased the land in 2003 and 2007 from the heirs of the original owner Gullamma although the property belonged to the BDA. "How was an absolute sale deed executed on a land that was acquired by BDA?" Revenue Minister Gowda asked.

In October 2009, one Ramaswamy bin Venkatappa petitioned then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to denotify the land. "There's nothing to establish this Ramaswamy's relationship with Gullamma. A fake character was created to seek denotification," Gowda said. Yediyurappa directed the BDA commissioner to put up the file in November. "On December 31, 2009, denotification was done in favour of Muniswamappa bin Doddabillappa. Ultimately, the khata was done in Ashoka's name. At every step, illegality was done," the minister charged.

Home Minister Parameshwara pointed out that Wing Commander GB Athri (Retired) filed a Lokayukta complaint and the matter went to court. "In August 2011, Ashoka gifted the land to the BDA. The land that belonged to the BDA was gifted back to it," Parameshwara said.

In January 2019, a bench led by then Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari disposed of Athri's petition. Quoting from the order, Parameshwara said the High Court found that "no purpose would be served by continuing with this petition" as the land was back with the BDA. "So, the court said no case is required as the matter was settled," he said.

"If what (Ashoka) did was right, why is he finding fault with what the CM's wife did?" Patil, the law minister, said.

It is possible that the Congress ministers were implying that Siddaramaiah, too, should not face criminal proceedings as his wife had surrendered the impugned plots. "This is a question of morality," Parameshwara clarified. "Where's the moral ground for Ashoka to seek Siddaramaiah's resignation?"