MUDA scam being politicized to tarnish CM Siddaramaiah's image: Congress legislators
Bengaluru: Congress legislators K M Shivalinge Gowda,P M Narendra Swamy, S M Narayanaswamy addressed a joint press meet in Vidhan Soudha on Thursday to provide clarifications on MUDA scam. They said that BJP and JDS were unnecessarily politicizing MUDA issue as they wanted to tarnish the image of an unblemished political leader. Supporting the move of the CM and the speaker in the assembly session, they released MUDA scam documents that happened during BJP's tenure.
MLA K M Shivalinge Gowda said that BJP-JDS must be taught a lesson for staging the drama. “A legal enquiry has been conducted on the MUDA scam. This is a 20 year old case. So the speaker didn't allow a discussion. Opposition parties have opposed this. They are just trying to make it political. People should know the truth”, he added.
ALSO READ: CM accuses opposition of trying to target him personally, tarnish his image over MUDA ''scam''
“The 3.5 acre plot was first acquired in auction by Ninga Bin Javara in 1935. Documents show that the land was obtained through bidding during British time. Lands were given to anyone who called out at an auction then. Ninga was granted the land in this way. He had three children named Mailarayya, Mallayya and Devaraju. Mailayya is deceased, his wife Puttagowramma is alive now. The 3.15 acre was left for Devaraju”, he explained.
“Devaraju gave the land to Mallikarjuna Swamy, brother-in-law of Siddaramaiah in 2004. Mallikarjuna Swamy gave the land in a gift-deed to Siddaramaiah's wife. MUDA acquired the land and allotted it as sites later. Siddaramaiah's wife questioned the move and demanded for the return of land or the grant of an equivalent plot, in a letter to MUDA. Accordingly, she was granted site in a 50:50 ratio. BJP was in power when the sites were sanctioned”, Shivalinge Gowda said.
MLA Narayanaswamy said that Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy had also filed an application in MUDA and acquired a 21,000 sq. ft. site. “How was the site allotted to him? Sa Ra Mahesh, G T Devegowda also have acquired sites. Why is there no discussion on them? Is it a scam only when Siddaramaiah gets a site? Kumaraswamy had written in the application that he was a resident of Mysuru and he needs a site. Has he started an industry there? How many people has he employed?” he questioned.
“An old issue has been deliberately rekindled. They demand a chance for debate and stage a protest with political malevolence. Siddaramaiah hasn't taken any part in the scam, there is no sign of his in the allotment and the irregularities happened during BJP's tenure. What is the aim of their Mysore Padayatre now? The investigation into the alleged irregularities is already in progress. I don’t know what is the 'noble aim' of BJP padayatra”, Narayanaswamy stated.
MLA Narendraswamy said that the Congress government had already completed one year. “Why didn't they speak about during the last year? This was a 2021 case. Why didn't they open their mouths then? There was even a session during that time. What was the party of the speaker then? Who was the Urban Development Minister? Who was the CM then? Why haven't they demanded any punishment to these people?” he questioned.
MLA Shivalinge Gowda said that the issue was being blown out of the proportionto target the CM. “Please don’t tarnish Siddaramaiah’s image for no reason. The people of the state won’t believe it. They know his character well. If you think you can fix him in the case, please forget it. The site to him was given by you. Please stop the drama. Why did MUDA trespass on the land? Return the 3.15 acres. BJP people themselves allotted the site. Did Siddaramaiah ask you to allot the site in that specific location? If he has done something wrong, then we will accept defeat”, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
