Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan to seek inquiry committee’s approval to issue clarification

Mysore/Mysuru: Amidst controversy over MUDA‘s allocation of alternative sites in upscale Vijayanagar to Parvathi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife, in place of the land acquired from her at Kesare and the transfer of Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, a whistleblower on irregularities in the 50:50 scheme, Congress activists and Siddaramaiah’s followers sought to clear the air and blamed the previous BJP Government for the scams.

KPCC Spokesperson M. Lakshmana and his team visited the MUDA Office yesterday, urging the Commissioner to clarify the allegations made by the BJP and to clear the name of Siddaramaiah and his family. A team of reporters accompanied them to shed light on the land allotments.

Lakshmana claimed that the allegations made by BJP and JD(S) leaders over the land allotment to the Chief Minister’s wife tarnished Mysuru’s image. He urged MUDA Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan to clarify the site allotment to silence Siddaramaiah’s critics.

Responding to the demand, the Commissioner told the Congress delegation that the investigation into MUDA irregularities is ongoing, so he cannot issue a clarification at this stage. However, Lakshmana insisted that while the probe is investigating the entire site distribution under the 50:50 ratio, the Commissioner could easily issue a clarification on the specific land allocation to the CM’s wife.

The Commissioner stated that he would consult the investigation team to determine whether he could issue a clarification. If the team agrees, he will proceed accordingly. Lakshmana added that criminal cases will be lodged against those who make false allegations against the CM and his family.

Corruption by BJP

Speaking at the meeting with the Commissioner, Lakshmana alleged that during the tenure of the BJP Government, a significant scam occurred, and now they are baselessly accusing the Congress Government without any evidence.

“The same individuals involved in corruption during the BJP administration since 2019 are making false allegations against the Congress Government. They are attempting to cover up the scam by diverting public attention with these baseless accusations,” he added.

“The Congress Government has been in power for over a year now, and during this time, the Lok Sabha Poll Code of Conduct was in effect for three months. During the BJP Government’s tenure, MUDA took decisions unilaterally without the attention of the Cabinet and the then MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh was responsible for a large-scale illegal site allotment,” Lakshmana said.

The Congress Government had ordered an investigation into the MUDA scam, led by a committee formed under the leadership of two IAS officers, he said.

City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) Chairman Ayub Khan, former Corporator Lokesh Piya, former ZP President Ramu, Spokesperson Mahesh, Congress Legal Cell Advocates Suresh, Shivaprasad and others were present.