On 30th September, BM Parvathi, wife of the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, announced that she would return the 14 compensatory land sites that she had received from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The announcement was made in a letter sent to MUDA. The development came hours after the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case against CM Siddaramaiah and others in the MUDA land scam.
In the letter, BM Parvathi wrote, “My husband, Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister of the state, has upheld a strict code of ethics throughout his 40-year political career, remaining entirely free from any kind of blemish. I have lived my life committed to ensuring that nothing in my public or political life would cause him any embarrassment.”
In the letter, she emphasised that throughout her life, she never sought any personal wealth or property. Regarding the controversy over the 14 MUDA plots inherited by her brother, BM Parvathi claimed that no material possessions were more important than her husband’s honour, and to resolve the matter, she decided to return the plots.
The letter was shared by CM Siddaramaiah in a post on X in Kannada. He wrote, “My wife Parvathi has returned the plots of land that were given as compensation for land acquired by MUDA in Mysuru without going through formal procedures.” He claimed that the accusations made against him were fabricated and born out of “political malice”.
ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಮುಡಾ ಭೂಸ್ವಾಧೀನ ನಡೆಸದೆ ವಶಕ್ಕೆ ಪಡೆದಿದ್ದ ಜಮೀನಿಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಡಿದ್ದ ನಿವೇಶನಗಳನ್ನು ನನ್ನ ಪತ್ನಿ ಪಾರ್ವತಿ ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) September 30, 2024
ನನ್ನ ವಿರುದ್ದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ದ್ವೇಷ ಸಾಧನೆಗಾಗಿ ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷಗಳು ಸುಳ್ಳು ದೂರನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಿ ನನ್ನ ಕುಟುಂಬವನ್ನು ವಿವಾದಕ್ಕೆ ಎಳೆದು ತಂದಿರುವುದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನತೆಗೂ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ.
ಈ… pic.twitter.com/tk0C69rL3w
He further claimed to have stood against such “injustice” and acknowledged that his wife felt distressed over the situation. He wrote, “This deeply saddens me,” as according to him, Parvathi had remained out of public life for a long time and the controversy had caused her mental harassment.
He wrote, “My wife Parvati has returned the lands that were given in the form of compensation for the land that was seized without carrying out Muda land acquisition in Mysore. The people of the state also know that the opposition parties created a false complaint and dragged my family into the controversy to create political hatred against me. My stand was to fight without bowing down to this injustice. But my wife, who is upset with the political conspiracy going on against me, has taken a decision to return these plots, which has surprised me too. My wife, who never intervened in my four decades-long politics and was confined to her family, is a victim of the politics of hate against me and is suffering psychological torture. I am sorry. However, I respect my wife’s decision to return the plots.”
Background of MUDA Scam
On 10th July, a complaint was filed against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Social activist Snehamayi Krishna has filed the complaint. It has accused Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, who claimed to be a landowner, and his family of ‘wrongdoings’.
It is pertinent to note that earlier, CM Siddaramaiah rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe in this matter. In his defence, he demanded Rs 62 from MUDA claiming that it “usurped” his family’s 3.16-acre land for a development project. However, the Chief Minister’s demand soon sparked an outrage among the Bengaluru farmers. They accused the administration of following separate rules for the Chief Minister and state farmers. Additionally, they have also started to demand higher compensation from MUDA for acquiring their land for key development projects.
Major developments in the alleged MUDA scam and the ongoing controversy explained
Evidently, a major controversy over the reported allotment of 14 pricey plots to CM Siddaramaiah’s family in Mysuru has rocked the state politics of Karnataka. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been demanding a CBI probe in this matter. It has alleged irregularities and a scam in the land acquisition and allotment of an alternate site.
According to the allegations, MUDA generally follows a 60:40 ratio in development projects meaning that it gives 40% of land back to the farmers in the same developed project. However, it is alleged that MUDA not only followed a 50:50 ratio in CM Siddaramaiah’s case but also allocated pricy plots at a different location.
BJP has alleged that Siddaramaiah helped himself with the allotment of 14 plots in the upscale Vijayanagar locality in Mysuru in exchange for giving up 3 acres 16 guntas of land on the city outskirts to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). It has charged CM’s family with accepting Rs 35 crore worth of plots in place of earlier decided compensation of Rs 3 lakh.
Following the Karnataka High Court dismissed CM Siddaramaiah’s plea against the Governor’s nod to file a case against him, Lokayukt Police filed and FIR. Furthermore, ED has also filed a case under PMLA.
OpIndia’s detailed report on MUDA Scam can be checked here and here.
