Siddaramaiah denotified Rs 300 crore land says BJP, Karnataka CM threatens to sue

BJP MLC B J Puttaswamy had accused Siddaramaiah of illegally denotifying land to help his aide.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is mulling legal action- a defamation case- against BJP leaders for accusing him of illegal denotification. Deeming the charges of the BJP leaders "frivolous, baseless and politically motivated", Siddaramaiah said that legal action will be initiated against a BJP MLC for 'peddling lies'.

BJP MLC B J Puttaswamy on Tuesday had alleged that Siddaramaiah intervened to override a Supreme Court order in denotifying two parcels of land in Bengaluru North taluk in 2016 worth Rs 300 crores. While the BJP produced documents to back its claim, Siddaramaiah on Wednesday rubbished the claims and the documents.

"There was never a proposal either by the BDA or the Urban development department for denotification. When there was no proposal how can there be a document? What the BJP is showing you are two letters seeking revenue sites that were written to me on which I have written "examine and discuss"- which is routine," Siddaramaiah said.

The BJP has accused Siddaramaiah of illegally denotifying 6 acres and 26 guntas land in Bhoopsandra in Bengaluru North taluk which was earmarked for a residential area in RMV Stage 2 in 1982. The denotification, the BJP alleged, was in violation of the Supreme Court order. Siddaramaiah claimed that the land was not denotified but the last notification was quashed by the High Court since the scheme had lapsed.

The BJP alleged that Siddaramaiah wrote two letters to the BDA asking it to examine the case and made it withdraw an appeal challenging the High Court order which had gone in favour of the original landholders. On Wednesday, when asked specifically about the letters and the government's push to withdraw an appeal against quashing of the final notification, Siddaramaiah claimed that the letters were submitted to him by Congress MLA Vasanth Bangera. "The government did not drop the appeal. The court quashed the final notification and we are only abiding by the court," Siddaramaiah said when asked if the government will pursue its appeal which was withdrawn in the case.

While the BJP has claimed that it would approach the Anti-corruption Bureau against the Chief Minister in the denotification case, Siddaramaiah has called the allegations and "attempt to tarnish his image". "The BJP is scared that they will lose in the assembly elections and are hence making such frivolous allegations to tarnish my image. We will initiate legal action against the BJP leaders," Siddaramaiah said but did not reveal if the legal action will be initiated in his personal capacity or the office he holds.

OneIndia News