Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah’s wife BM Parvathi has decided to return the controversial 14 plots of land allocated to her by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). She stated that her “husband’s honour and dignity are far more important than property or wealth”.
For the first time, the CM’s wife has spoken out on the issue. In a letter addressed to the MUDA commissioner, she explained that she is returning the 14 plots of various sizes in Mysuru’s Vijayanagar Phases 3 and 4. These were given as compensation for 3 acres and 16 guntas in the village of Kesare (survey number 464), which had been illegally encroached upon.
“Nothing is more important than my husband’s honour and dignity. I have never desired anything from a family that has held power for so many years,” Parvathi wrote, clarifying that she acted of her own volition. She added that she had not consulted her husband, the chief minister, her MLA son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, or any family member before making this decision.
In her letter to MUDA, she stated: “I wish to surrender and return the compensation plots by cancelling the deeds of the 14 plots executed in my favour by MUDA. I am also handing over possession of the plots back to MUDA. Kindly take the necessary steps in this regard as soon as possible.”
Parvathi highlighted her husband’s 40-year unblemished political career, describing him as a man of unwavering ethics who treats his principles as a solemn vow. She expressed that she has always stayed in the background, ensuring that his reputation is never tarnished by her actions.
“I have never desired a house, property, gold, or wealth. I am overwhelmed by the love and support the people have shown my husband, but I am deeply hurt by the allegations regarding the MUDA land allotment, which was a gift from my brother,” she wrote, saying that she never imagined her husband would face unfair accusations over that land.
Parvathi, whom Siddaramaiah has often mentioned, has always maintained a very low profile. She has shied away from public life and is not seen at any events, personal or political. Siddaramaiah himself once commented that she has not attended a single swearing-in ceremony despite his becoming chief minister twice.
In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory plots were given to Siddaramaiah’s wife in an upmarket area of Mysuru, with higher property value than the location of her land “acquired” by MUDA.
The BJP has been demanding a CBI probe into the matter. On September 28, a petition was filed in the Karnataka High Court seeking a CBI investigation into an alleged scam involving the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and CM Siddaramaiah.
However, the Karnataka government decided to withdraw its general consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate cases in the state amid the MUDA land allotment controversy.
This was seen as an attempt by the Congress government to avoid a CBI investigation into the alleged scam involving Siddaramaiah. Following this setback, one of the petitioners in the MUDA case, Snehamayi Krishna, lodged a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate.
On Monday, September 30, the ED booked Siddaramaiah, invoking sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in its ECIR, equivalent to a police FIR. His wife Parvathi, brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy, and Devaraju – from whom Swamy had bought land and gifted it to Parvathi – are among those named in the FIR registered by the Mysuru-based Lokayukta police on September 27 which the ED has taken up.
Siddaramaiah faced a major setback on September 25 when a special court issued an order directing a Lokayukta police investigation into the allotment of 14 sites worth Rs 56 crore to the CM’s wife. This came a day after the Karnataka High Court (September 24) upheld governor Thawar Chand Gehlot’s sanction for an investigation into the alleged illegalities in the MUDA site allotment.
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