H D Kumaraswamy on MUDA 'scam': CM Siddaramaiah's wife's land was de-notified in dead man's name

Bengaluru: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday gave a new twist to the MUDA plot case, claiming that in 1998 when Siddaramaiah was the deputy chief minister, the land that later went to his wife was denotified in a dead person’s name. 

The latest salvo from Kumaraswamy comes as the JD(S)-BJP coalition looks to keep the pressure on Siddaramaiah and build a narrative against the Congress government in the state. 

According to Kumaraswamy, the land originally belonged to a man named Ninga alias Jawara. MUDA acquired this land and remitted compensation of Rs 3 lakh in court.

However, the land was denotified in 1998 in Ninga’s name — he was already dead — and land passed on to his son Devaraj. Later, Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law purchased the land from Devaraj and gifted it to Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi.

"In 1998, the land was denotified in the name of Ninga, who was dead by that time. Siddaramaiah was the Deputy Chief Minister. I would like to ask the Chief Minister, who gave an application to de-notify the land when Ninga was not alive? And, is it possible to de-notify the land in the name of a dead person?" Kumaraswamy said. 

"Who gave this idea to the CM? Was it the deputy chief minister who de-notified land in Benninganahalli?" Kumaraswamy said, without elaborating. 

As explained by the former chief minister, the land was transferred (via pouti khata) to Ninga's son Devaraju in 1992-93.

"In 2004, one Mr Mallikarjuna Swamy, said to be the brother-in-law of Siddaramaiah, bought the land from Devaraju and submitted an application before the Deputy Commissioner in 2005 for change of land use. And the land was gifted to his sister Parvathi (Siddaramaiah's wife) in 2010," he said. 

Kumaraswamy also took issue over Siddaramaiah demanding Rs 62 crore for the land acquired by MUDA. "Is it your ancestral property to demand such a huge amount? I have full documents about the scam. How can you demand Rs 62 crore for the land acquired by MUDA," he asked. 

Kumaraswamy said the case is connected to Siddaramaiah's family and if any others are involved in the scam from any party, including his JD(S), then action should be taken. "I request any of the advocates from the state to submit the case before the Governor and seek permission for prosecution," he added.