The MUDA commissioner said the repossession of the plots is not related to the investigation.
The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has agreed to take back 14 plots, which were at the center of a huge row and an alleged scam, from the wife of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The chief minister's wife BN Parvathi had written to MUDA and offered to return the plots, stating that she was following her conscience. The 14 plots were allotted to her in Vijayanagar Phase 3 and 4, prime areas in Mysuru, as compensation for the use of 3.16 hectares of land in Kesare village, near the city. An anti-corruption activist had complained that this had caused a loss of Rs 45 crore to the state.
The Lokayukta and Enforcement Directorate have registered cases against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the alleged scam.
MUDA Commissioner AN Raghunandan said on Tuesday: “As per legal provisions, we can take back the plots. We discussed this with a panel of lawyers. We have decided to take back the land and we have instructed them to cancel the agreement. also the deed of sale.”
“This has no connection with the investigation. We will inform the investigators if there is a chance that we will assign this to someone else. There are provisions in the law. We will inform the Lokayukta and other investigating officers,” he added.
In her letter to the authority, Ms Parvathi said she wanted to return the plots earlier but was advised not to do so as the charges against her husband in the MUDA case were politically motivated.
“My husband, Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister of the state, has upheld a strict code of ethics throughout his forty years of political career and has remained completely free from any kind of blemish…For me, no house, plot or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity and peace of mind. After all these years in power, I have never sought any personal gain for myself or my family,” she wrote.
Earlier on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said his wife's decision to return the land – which he claimed was gifted to her by her brother and encroached upon by MUDA – was her own.
“If I didn't do anything wrong, why would I resign? The country's notification was withdrawn by senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and not by me. My legal team will fight this,” he said.
However, the BJP claimed that the idea came from the chief minister.
“I don't think this is a decision of Siddaramaiah's wife. It's his decision… this is like admitting his mistake. But what changed overnight?' asked Vijayendra, the Karnataka BJP chief and son of BS Yediyurappa.