CM accuses opposition of trying to target him personally, tarnish his image over MUDA ''scam''
Bengaluru, Jul 25: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday termed the alleged scam in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority a "non-issue" and charged the opposition BJP and JD(S) with trying to target him personally and tarnish his image.
“You are making an issue out of a non-issue intentionally and you are making a personal target,” Siddaramaiah said in the Karnataka Legislative Council, hitting out at members of the opposition, who have demanded a discussion on the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by MUDA, including to his wife Parvathi.
“No illegalities have happened. Everything happened as per law. I strongly condemn you for targeting me personally. Your objective is to tarnish my image,” the Chief Minister said.
It is alleged that alternative 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.
ALSO READ: Will release list of MUDA sites illegally allotted during BJP tenure: D K Shivakumar
Several supporters of Siddaramaiah too have allegedly "benefitted this way," BJP leaders alleged.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.
The controversial scheme envisages allotting 50 per cent of developed land to the land loser in lieu of undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts.
The Chief Minister said the alternative sites were allotted in 2021 when the BJP was in power.
“For the fault of yours, MUDA gave me the site. There is no scope for discussion on this topic,” he said as the BJP and JD(S) MLCs trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans.
Siddaramaiah said the MUDA illegally took the land belonging to his wife and formed a layout without her permission and sold it to people.
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Rupee declines 10 paise to 90.44 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee extended its weakening momentum for the third straight session, losing 10 paise to 90.44 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, weighed down by relentless outflow of foreign funds and a firm greenback.
Lower crude oil prices and positive equity market sentiment prevented a steep fall in the domestic currency, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 90.37 and slipped further to trade at 90.44 against the greenback, 10 paise lower than the closing level of the previous session.
The rupee declined 11 paise to close at 90.34 against the US dollar on Wednesday, a day after falling 6 paise.
The foreign exchange markets were closed on Thursday due to a holiday for the Mumbai municipal corporation elections.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.02 per cent lower at 99.10.
Analysts said the American currency was impacted by the December US inflation numbers, which have reduced hopes for an immediate interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
Also, they said that the rupee faced pressure after data released on Thursday showed India's trade deficit widened slightly to USD 25.04 billion in December 2025, compared to USD 24.53 billion in November and USD 22 billion in December 2024.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.34 per cent lower at USD 63.54 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the Sensex climbed 210.04 points to 83,592.75, while the Nifty rose 34.65 points to 25,700.25.
Foreign institutional investors offloaded equities worth Rs 4,781.24 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
