MUDA ''scam'': BJP to hold "mega" protest in home district of CM on July 12, demands his resignation
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP will be holding a "mega" protest in Mysuru on July 12 in connection with an alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), which involves plots given to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi, its president B Y Vijayendra said on Wednesday, and demanded the CM's resignation.
The protesters will demand allocation of sites to the poor by withdrawing those distributed illegally, and a CBI probe into the "scam" as the allegations are against the Chief Minister and his family, he said, adding that the BJP will also raise the issue during the coming Assembly session.
It is alleged that compensatory 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.
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.
Speaking about the alleged MUDA "scam", Vijayendra accused the Chief Minister of giving wrong information to the public. "The CM's true face has come out in the open."
ALSO READ: SC refuses to set aside anticipatory bail given to Bhavani Revanna in kidnapping case
"At every stage in this land scam, irregularities have been committed, " he alleged. "The Chief Minister has to answer to the people and should take the responsibility for the scam....the CM, who promised Rs 2,000 (a month) to poor women, has given 14 sites worth more than Rs two crore each, together worth about Rs 63-64 crore to his wife."
"If there is any CM in the country, who committed irregularities during his term and sought compensation from his own government, it is Siddaramaiah," Vijayendra added.
Vijayendra noted that 14 sites that were given to Parvathi by MUDA are said to be in accordance with land acquisition act 1991 as per records. But he pointed out that according to the act, if the land that has been acquired is between three to four acres, only two sites of 40x60 square feet measurement should be given in lieu of the land acquired.
"So, the CM's wife should have got only two sites of 40x60 (square feet) measurement. Which means, 14 sites that have been given are completely in violation of rules," he said, alleging "misinformation" on the part of the CM by claiming that his wife received sites which were worth only Rs 18 crore, while she was supposed to have received compensatory sites worth more than Rs 62 crore.
The guidelines value of 14 sites that have been given to CM's wife by MUDA as on today is Rs 3,000 per sqft, while the market value is more than Rs 9,000 per sqft, he claimed.
Vijayendra also alleged that Siddaramaiah has not mentioned this over three acres of land belonging to his wife in his 2013 Assembly election affidavit, which is a clear case of violation of Model Code of Conduct and Representation of the People Act.
"We are discussing complaining to the Election Commission about this," he added.
Alleging that Urban Development Minister B S Suresha (Byrathi Suresha) rushed to Mysuru, the home district of Siddaramaiah, hurriedly called a MUDA meeting as the scam came to the fore, and transferred officials instead of punishing them, the state BJP chief said, "more than Rs 5,000 crore worth sites have been allotted to influential people. The Minister is trying to protect officials involved in the scam."
The Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru district, who inquired about the MUDA scam and submitted a report to the government, has been transferred, he said, alleging that the Minister has tried to cover up the scam, and has himself carried all the relevant files from MUDA office in Mysuru to Bengaluru.
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.
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.
