News Brief
Nishtha Anushree
Oct 01, 2024, 03:00 PM | Updated 03:00 PM IST
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A day after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi offered to surrender the plots to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), the MUDA Commissioner acknowledged it.
MUDA Commissioner A N Raghunandan said that he had received the letter sent by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding returning the 14 sites, which was delivered by the CM's son Yathindra Siddaramaiah at their office.
"They have given us a request letter to take it back voluntarily. Since the case is under investigation, we will take legal advice and take the next decision," the urban authority's Commissioner said.
"Lokayukta police have asked for some documents, which we will give them. No documents have been asked from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), we will fully cooperate in the investigation," he added.
Regarding the letter, Siddaramaiah said that returning the plots was her wife's decision as this was gifted to her by her brother. The land was later encroached by MUDA and an alternative site was given.
"She didn't ask for Vijayanagara but they gave it. This has become big politics now. Money laundering doesn't come into the picture here. What is my role?" the Karnataka CM was quoted as saying by ANI.
"My wife thought it had become a reason for politics so she wrote a letter because she didn't want any controversy... Whether ED or anything else I will fight it out legally," Siddaramaiah added.
However, the president of Karnataka BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), B Y Vijayendra has dismissed the notion that Siddaramaiah had no involvement in his wife's letter.
"I don't believe this was a decision made solely by Siddaramaiah's wife. It was his decision... it's almost like he's admitting his mistake. But what has changed overnight?" Vijayendra questioned.
The BJP leader suggested that the offer came in response to "tremendous pressure" on the CM since the High Court's judgment, which stated he couldn’t play the victim.
He also reiterated his party's demand for Siddaramaiah's resignation, stating, "There is no ambiguity in this matter. He is obligated to resign, and he should step down."
Nishtha Anushree is Senior Sub-editor at Swarajya. She tweets at @nishthaanushree.