CM Yeddyurappa caught in land scam

Mtoday news

Bangalore, Oct 4: After the mining mafia, a land scam has now hit the B S Yeddyurappa government. The Karnataka chief minister is accused of flouting norms to gift government land to his son.

 

“I’m requesting honourable speaker to convene a special three-day session for a detailed discussion on illegal scandals from past ten years,” said Karnatakapa Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.

That’s the response of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa who is running for cover after Opposition party Congress petitioned the governor on Sunday to dismiss his government - no enquiry, no explanation - only a special legislature discussion on scams. Yeddyurappa has been facing allegations of denotifying prime government land to favour his son and son-in-law.

 

Karnataka Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu addressing the media regarding an alleged land scam on Sunday

After the Reddy brothers’ alleged involvement in illegal mining, another minister in Yeddyurappa’s cabinet, Katta Subramanya Naidu, is caught in a fresh scam.
Alleged land scandals rocked the Karnataka politics on Sunday with Congress raising the pitch seeking BJP government’s dismissal and Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa convening a legislature session to discuss the issue.

The Minister under the scanner, Katta Subramanya Naidu, insisted that his hands were clean and said there was no question of resignation.

The Congress took a delegation to Governor H.R. Bhardwaj seeking the dismissal of the government charging Mr. Yeddyurappa and Mr. Naidu, the Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Housing, with direct involvement in alleged land scams.
“We have submitted a 103-page memorandum to the Governor and also many documents,” Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah told reporters.


Stepping up its attack on the alleged land scandals, opposition JD(S) today made a fresh charge accusing Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa of denotifying some land here in violation of court rulings and levelled bribery charges against him.

Former Chief Minister and state JDS President H D Kumaraswamy alleged that Yeddyurappa had denotified more than five acres acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for a layout at Nagarbhavi here in violation of Supreme Court and High Court orders and over-ruling objections of officials.

The Congress and JDS have been accusing Yeddyurappa of denotifying certain land for the benefit of his family members, a charge rejected by the Chief Minister. JD(S) leader and former Law Minister M C Nanaiah saw the Chief Minister’s action as a case of "total bribery and kickback".

Given the marketvalue of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per square feet in Nagarbhavi, the value of the denotified land was as high as Rs 250 crore, Nanaiah claimed adding, it’s well-known that those who get the land notified normally pay a bribe of around 50 per cent.

It is an absolute misuse of power, he charged adding JDS was looking into the matter from a legal angle. Kumaraswamy, who is also a Lok Sabha member, accused Yeddyurappa of throwing to winds the court rulings and officials’ objections in notifying this land.

He said he would hand over documents in the case to Lok Ayukta seeking a probe. Kumaraswamy also said that he would make details of the notified land made during his tenure as Chief Minister public soon on his own volition.

With the opposition parties demanding the dismissal of the BJP Government over the land denotification issue, Yeddyurappa had yesterday announced a special three-day state legislature session next month to discuss the alleged scams that took place in the last ten years.