Karnataka govt forms inquiry commission into MUDA scam
Bengaluru, Jul 14: The Karnataka government on Sunday ordered the formation of an inquiry commission into the alleged alternative site scam in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
According to the order, High Court judge (retd) Justice P N Desai will head the single-member commission.
The commission will be required to complete the inquiry and submit its report to the state government within six months.
The departments concerned and the MUDA officials will have to cooperate with the investigation by providing the necessary documents and information to Justice Desai, the order said.
The government passed the order late Sunday night ahead of the Legislature session, which will start on July 15 and culminate on July 26.
ALSO READ: MUDA 'scam': HD Kumaraswamy accuses CM Siddaramaiah of 'misuse of power'
The scam gathered steam after the BJP alleged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi was one of the beneficiaries of alternative sites (plots).
Siddaramaiah categorically rejected the allegation and claimed that MUDA "illegally" took over the four acres land belonging to his wife and formed a layout without her permission.
The CM said MUDA compensated them by providing them alternative plots.
The BJP has raised doubts about the claim saying how can MUDA touch such a "high profile" property.
The party has pegged the size of the scam somewhere around Rs 3,000 crore.
The BJP staged a demonstration over the matter in Mysuru on Friday.
ಮುಡಾ ನಿವೇಶನ ಹಂಚಿಕೆಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಆರೋಪಗಳು ಕೇಳಿ ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪಾರದರ್ಶಕ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಷ್ಪಕ್ಷಪಾತ ತನಿಖೆ ನಡೆಸಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಶಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರವು ಮಾನ್ಯ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಉಚ್ಚ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯದ ನಿವೃತ್ತ ನ್ಯಾಯಾಧೀಶರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಪಿ ಎನ್ ದೇಸಾಯಿ ಅವರ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಏಕ ಸದಸ್ಯ ವಿಚಾರಣಾ ಆಯೋಗವನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿ ತನಿಖೆಗೆ ವಹಿಸಿದೆ.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 14, 2024
ಪ್ರಕರಣದ… pic.twitter.com/UmiUQ8V8wZ
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
