As the Karnataka assembly session draws near, allegations have emerged regarding irregularities in site allotment by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), involving land losses worth thousands of crores of rupees. The controversy has escalated with accusations that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, benefited from these irregularities.
BJP leaders R Ashoka and CT Ravi have accused MUDA of allotting alternate sites in upscale Mysore areas to influential individuals, including Parvathi Siddaramaiah. They allege that Parvathi received these sites as compensation for land she relinquished in Mysore for layout development. The BJP claims that this has caused government losses amounting to as much as Rs 4,000 crore and is preparing to challenge the Congress government on this issue during the legislative assembly session this month.
Parvathi Siddaramaiah originally owned 3 acres and 16 guntas of land in Kesare village, Mysore, which had been gifted to her by her brother Mallikarjun. This land was later acquired by MUDA for development purposes. In 2021, Parvathi was compensated with sites totalling 38,283 square feet in the Vijayanagar 3rd and 4th stage layouts, which are prime localities in South Mysore.
The market value of these sites in Vijayanagar is reportedly much higher than that of the original land in Kesare, raising questions about the fairness and legality of the compensation. Notably, the new site in Vijayanagar was allotted to Parvathi during the BJP regime in 2021.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has defended the allotment, stating that it was carried out under the BJP government in 2021. He emphasized that MUDA's decision to compensate with sites in Vijayanagar was due to the unavailability of sites in the Devanur 3rd stage layout in Kesare.
Contrary to the allegations, Siddaramaiah's legal advisor, A S Ponnanna, argued that the value of the compensation site in Vijayanagar is much lower than that of the original land in Kesare. He stated that according to the land acquisition act, Parvathi is entitled to receive Rs 57 crore more from the government, as the value of the sites she received as compensation is just Rs 15-16 crore, which is significantly less than the value of the land she originally owned in Kesare.
Ponnanna further explained that the size of the compensation site (38,284 square feet) is much smaller than the original land (148,104 square feet). He claimed that Parvathi settled for the Vijayanagar site to avoid further delays, even though it was of lower market value.
The allotments were made under MUDA's 50:50 scheme, introduced in 2020, which entitles land losers to 50% of the developed sites, with the remainder for sale. This scheme was revoked in 2023 by Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh following severe backlash. However, allegations persist that sites continued to be allotted under this scheme even after its revocation.
BJP leader R Ashok stated that a large number of sites were allotted to influential people who claimed to be land losers, resulting in huge losses to the government amounting to thousands of crores.
In response to the allegations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah remarked that the BJP has nothing substantial to allege and is acting under the influence of the RSS. He explained that their land was acquired and turned into a park, and they were given a plot as compensation. The allotment was made during the BJP's tenure in 2021. Siddaramaiah challenged the BJP to explain how it is lawful if they believe it is against the law, and suggested that if the land value is Rs 62 crore, the BJP should take back the plot and compensate them accordingly.
