'My wife a victim of hate politics', says Siddaramaiah after she returns 14 MUDA plots

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday (October 1) claimed that his wife, Parvathi B M, who chose to give up ownership and possession of 14 plots allocated to her by the MUDA, was a victim of the ‘politics of hate’ directed at him. He also expressed surprise at her decision.

The Chief Minister said Parvathi was confined to her family, but the politics of hate has led to her ‘suffering psychological torture’.

“My wife Parvathi has returned the lands that were given in the form of compensation for the land that was seized without carrying out MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) land acquisition in Mysuru,” he said in an online post.

Political hatred

The people of the state also know that the opposition parties created a false complaint and dragged his family into the controversy to create political hatred against him, Siddaramaiah claimed.

“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 sites, which has surprised me too,” he said.

“My wife, who never interfered 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 anguished. However, I respect my wife's decision to return the plots,” Siddaramaiah said. Parvathi, who is rarely seen in public, on Monday wrote to the MUDA expressing her desire to surrender the14 sites allotted to her as compensation for the 3.16 acres of land belonging to her that had been used by the MUDA.

Hours earlier, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), equivalent to an FIR by police, against the Chief Minister over the alleged irregularities in allotment of 14 sites to his wife by the MUDA, after taking cognisance of the FIR registered against him by the Lokayukta police.

The controversy

In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.

Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts. It is also alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land.

Guv's sanction upheld

The Karnataka High Court had earlier upheld the sanction granted by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for a probe against the Chief Minister on allegations of illegalities in the allotment of the sites.

Siddaramaiah, 76, said last week he was being targeted in the MUDA issue as the opposition was "scared" of him. He has also reiterated he would not resign as he has done no wrong and asserted that he would fight the case legally. 

(With agency inputs)