Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday accused the Opposition BJP of targeting him as he belonged to a backward community and became CM for a second time as the BJP prepares to hold a massive protest in Mysuru on Friday to press for his resignation in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scam.
The CM is battling charges of helping his wife with the allotment of 14 pricey plots in the upscale Vijayanagar in Mysuru in exchange for 3 acre 16 guntas of land, taken over by MUDA at Kesare village on the city outskirts.
The BJP, the CM told the media, was making allegations without a reason for political reasons. The charges were a conspiracy, and he would not be deterred by such tactics.
He maintained that allotment of plots in favour of his wife Parvathi was not a scam, but it was true that the affairs in MUDA were murkey and needed a clean-up. The ongoing investigations will help the government prevent misuse of the policy of allotment of plots to landowners on a 50:50 ratio basis.
On the BJP state president BY Vijayendra leading Friday’s agitation, he said even national president JP Nadda was welcome to lead it. “My stand is the MUDA’s allotment of plots (to my wife) is lawful. They (the BJP) are saying it is illegal. Then let them establish it,” he said, while adding he knew how to fight back the BJP politically.
The BJP has threatened to pursue the issue both inside and outside of the Legislature. Vijayendra, who represents Shikaripura in the assembly, has sought immediate cancellation of allotments and a CBI investigation on the grounds that the state police cannot impartially probe the matte because of the alleged entanglement of the CM in the case.
He has alleged that despite the land being under the MUDA possession, the sale and subsequent gift deed transactions were carried out, which Vijayendra alleged were fraudulent.
