Mysore Urban Development Authority to collect 14 plots from CM Siddaramaiah’s wife

The Mysore Urban Development Authority on Tuesday said it would take back 14 plots from Karnataka Chief Minister’s wife Parvathi after she volunteered to hand them over a day earlier, it said Times of Hindustan.

Parvathi said she was willing to return the plots a day after the Enforcement Directorate booked Siddaramaiah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the alleged land scam.

The alleged scam pertains to the allotment of 14 high-value residential plots in Mysuru’s Vijaynagar area to Parvathi in 2021 by the Mysore Urban Development Authority under a state government scheme. This was to be done in exchange for 3.16 acres of land she owned in another part of town. The land was allegedly illegally acquired from Dalit families.

The Enforcement Directorate filed the case based on the First Information Report registered by the Lokayukta Police against Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, her brother Mallikarjuna Swami and a person named Devaraju.

“The process (of reclaiming the plots) will start now,” said AN Raghunandan, commissioner, Mysore Urban Development Authority. “I will write to the sub-registrar to initiate the cancellation (of the land deed) and discuss next steps. Once the title deeds in Parvathi’s name are canceled, all 14 properties of different sizes in Vijayanagar… will revert to MUDA ownership.”

Parvathi stated that she did not consult Siddaramaiah or her son Yathindra before announcing the decision to donate the plots. On Tuesday, the prime minister said he respected his wife’s decision, but “he will fight without bowing to this injustice.”

On September 25, a special court in Bengaluru ordered Lokayukta Police Investigation against Siddaramaiah after Karnataka High Court upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot ordering his prosecution.

August 19 Siddaramaiah he filed a complaint to the Supreme Court Gehlot decision, maintaining that it was part of a concerted effort to destabilize the Congress government in Karnataka.

After the Supreme Court upheld the sanction ordering Siddaramaiah’s impeachment on September 24, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) have demanded his resignation as chief minister. However, he rejected calls to resign, describing the allegations as politically motivated.

The Janata Dal (Secular) is an ally of the BJP in Karnataka.

“The Lokayukta Police has asked for some documents which we will provide,” Raghunandan said on Tuesday. “No documents have been requested from the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and we will fully cooperate with the investigation.”

The Lokayukta Police on Tuesday inspected and surveyed the plots in the presence of Mysore Urban Development Authority officials.

The investigation team was also accompanied by Snehamayi Krishna, the activist who filed the first complaint in the case against Siddaramaiah and his family. Krishna said he joined the team on the instructions of the Lokayukta Police.

“My complaint is not personal against Siddaramaiah,” Krishna said. “I urge a comprehensive investigation into all the irregularities that have occurred at MUDA over the years.”

He added that Parvathi’s decision to return the land was “the first step towards my victory in my fight”.

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