Bengaluru: Activist Snehamayi Krishna, who is a petitioner in the alleged MUDA scam, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Bengaluru on Thursday. He said that there are thousands of crores of rupees involved in the MUDA case.
ED summoned him, asking him to produce all the documents and records pertaining to the alleged MUDA scam. This is regarding his email complaint to the ED against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Snehamayi Krishna said, "I came to appear before ED officers with some required documents like PAN card, Aadhaar card and others related to my family and my income background. I have given documents related to my complaint. Siddaramaiah's issue has been taken as one of the examples. There are thousands of crores of Rupees involved in the MUDA case. That's why I have asked for a thorough enquiry."
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy has accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of systematic attempts to destroy evidence and cover up the MUDA scam. He insisted that the MUDA commissioner, who took back the plots from CM's wife, should be arrested immediately for violating court orders.
Earlier Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday hardened his position on the allegations related to the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam. He once again reiterated that he would not resign, identifying himself as a self-witness in the matter.
Siddaramaiah also distinguished his situation from that of BS Yeddyurappa, stating that the former Chief Minister's case involved land denotification, while he was not involved in such matters.
He further expressed his intent to address the situation legally, regardless of investigations by the Enforcement Directorate or other entities.
"BS Yeddyurappa's case and mine are different cases. He did denotification of land and I am not involved in it. I will not give my resignation as a self-witness. Whether ED or anything else, I will fight it out legally," he said.
He stated that the land in question was gifted to his wife by her brother and that MUDA had encroached upon it. He explained that his wife requested an alternative site but did not specify Vijayanagara, yet it was allocated to her.
He asserted that the situation has escalated into political conflict and stated that the allegations of money laundering are not relevant to his case. He highlighted that his wife's actions were motivated by a desire to avoid controversy.
"It (the land) was gifted by my wife's brother to her. MUDA encroached on it and for this, she asked for an alternative site. She didn't ask for Vijayanagara but they gave it. This has become big politics now. Let them (BJP-JDS) do whatever they want. Money laundering doesn't come into the picture here. What is my role? My wife thought it had become a reason for politics so she wrote a letter because she didn't want any controversy," Siddharmaiah said.
After the ED booked the Karnataka CM for money laundering in a case linked to the alleged MUDA land allotment scam, his wife wrote to the MUDA Commissioner, offering to surrender the 14 plots that were allotted to her by the authority.
The Mysuru Lokayukta officially initiated an inquiry and investigation into the case following a September 27 court order to file an FIR. The Lokayukta was directed to investigate allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore to Siddaramaiah's wife, Parvathi, by MUDA.
It is alleged that MUDA illegally allotted 14 sites to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife in the prime location of Mysuru city.
—ANI