Karna CM declares assets; Rs 34 lakh bank balance, 3 homes

Bangalore, Feb 6 (PTI) In a bid to blunt the Oppositiononslaught on him over corruption charges, Karnataka ChiefMinister B S Yeddyurappa has declared his assets whichincludes a bank balance of nearly Rs 34 lakh and threeresidential buildings.

Furnishing the statement of assets and liabilities in adeclaration yesterday to BJP President Nitin Gadkari,Yeddyurappa said he has gold and diamond jewellery weighing2.596 kg, up from 1.6 kg in April 2008 when he filed hisaffidavit before the Election Commission on April 24, 2008,during filing of nominations for the Assembly elections.

The declaration said he has silverware vessels andornaments (own and gift items) weighing 76 kg, compared to 25kg in April 2008.

Yeddyurappa also declared that neither he as chiefminister nor any of his family members have any accounts inSwiss banks or in any other country''s tax havens.

As on January 31, 2011, Yeddyurappa had bank balance ofnearly Rs 33.5 lakh and household goods, furniture andelectronic items worth Rs 10.45 lakh.

"Hope you may find the above (the statement) as per theorder required," he said in the letter to Gadkari, which wasreleased to the media by the chief minister''s secretariattoday.

The declaration comes amid repeated allegations ofcorruption and nepotism in land denotification and dealslevelled against Yeddyurappa and his family members, as alsothe government by JDS and Congress, and BJP''s clamour at thecentral level for bringing back black money stashed abroad.

Yeddyurappa listed agriculture and non-agricultureproperties owned by him, along with gold and diamond jewelleryand silverware vessels and ornaments, but did not mention thevalue of these assets.

The chief minister, whose prosecution on corruptioncharges was sanctioned by Governor H R Bhardwaj in acontroversial action recently, owns 18.23 acres of agricultureland in his native Shikaripura taluk and an independent houseon a 50X80 plot here, allotted by Bangalore DevelopmentAuthority in 1997.

Yeddyurappa has two residential buildings inShikaripura, where he also owns 9.12 acres of agriculture landwhich was converted for industrial purpose.

Facing intense Opposition heat, the BJP government hasordered a judicial enquiry into land denotification, an issuewhich the anti-corruption body Lokayukta is also probing.

On February 1, pledging to set an example in the fightagainst black money, BJP-led NDA had said it would direct itschief ministers and senior most leaders to declare to thegovernment that they had no money stashed abroad.

The Opposition alliance had also said its leaders shoulddetail their assets and tell the government that it can "seizeany black money they have." PTI RS APR RA GSN