'Land given to my wife legal,' Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah denies role in MUDA 'scam'

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday denied the allegations levelled against him by the opposition parties in the alleged MUDA scam and said that neither him nor any of his family members have any role in it.

At a press conference here, Siddaramaiah released the documents pertaining to the land allotment to his wife Parvathi by MUDA. The CM also clarified that the alternate site allotted to his wife was a decision taken solely by the development authority.

"I, my wife or my brother in law Mallikarjuna Swamy have no role in it. It was a decision taken by the MUDA considering a request by my wife to allot her an alternate site for the land illegally acquired and developed by MUDA which was belonging to her," Siddaramaiah said.

Reiterating that he has no black spot in the last 40 years of political career, Siddaramaiah accused BJP and JD(S) leaders of trying to tarnish his image. "My life is an open book. They cannot digest the fact that I have become the Chief Minister for the second time and are spreading false information among the public against me," he mentioned.

The Chief Minister meanwhile clarified that the land gifted to his wife by Mallikarjuna Swamy was purchased by him six years after it was denotified in 2004. Addressing the allegations that the Chief Minister has looted the land belonging to SC community, Siddaramaiah said, "It was a self acquired property bought by Ninga bin Jawara in auction during 1935, later sold by his third son to Mallikarjuna Swamy and gifted to my wife in 2010. It does not attract PTCL act as being claimed by BJP and JDS." The Chief Minister released family tree of the original owner of the land and all documents related to the land.

Meanwhile, Siddaramaiah told in the conference that, he got to know in the year 2013-14 that the land was illegally acquired by MUDA.

"When my wife brought it to my notice in 2014 about the illegal acquisition of land and her request seeking alternate land, I was the Chief Minister then and I clearly told her that I will not entertain it. I even informed MUDA authorities about the same. But, in 2016, MUDA took a decision accepting its mistake," he shared. He even said that Parvathi submitted another application in 2021 and MUDA allotted alternate sites on 50:50 ratio following the High Court judgement in the case of one Sundramma of Mysuru.

However the Chief Minister revealed that, when the decision was taken there were legislators from all the parties as MUDA members. "The alternate land allotted to my wife was absolutely legal and the opposition parties have taken it personally to tarnish my image," he added.

Accepting that he has not mentioned about this property during the 2013 election affidavit, Siddaramaiah said, "It is true that I did not mention it in the election affidavit, but it was by mistake. The same has been rectified in my affidavit to Lokayukta later."

Meanwhile the Urban Development minister BS Suresha released the list of benefiarieis of land including Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, JDS leaders SA RA Mahesh, Manjegowda, GT Devegowda, BJP legislator H Vishwanath and others and submitted it to the one man Judicial Commission constituted to inquire the issue.