“BJP doing politics…allegations are baseless”: DK Shivakumar on MUDA case

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 12 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam and termed all the allegations “baseless”.

“BJP is doing politics. Their allegations are baseless, and we will respond to them at an appropriate time. Whatever happened has happened during the BJP rule and we will fight this false propaganda,” Shivakumar told reporters on Friday.

A complaint was filed by by social activist Snehamayi Krishna against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority.

The complainant alleged wrongdoings by Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, who claimed to be a landowner and his family. It further alleged that MUDA cheated by creating fake documents and obtaining plots worth crores of rupees. Snehamayi Krishna has raised several questions in his complaint.

BJP has alleged a scam of more than Rs 5000 crores in the alleged MUDA scam and has demanded the investigation to be handed over to CBI.

Earlier in the day, the Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra held a protest in Mysuru against Karnataka government over the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam and demanded to hand over the investigation of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Vijayendra and several other party leaders were later detained by the police.

Speaking to ANI, Vijayendra said, “There should be an impartial investigation. There cannot be an SIT investigation headed by the state government. BJP is demanding that the CM should hand over the investigation of this case to the CBI. Secondly, when the CM himself is involved in this scam, he should resign. Not only the CM’s family but many ministers and their relatives are also involved in this scam. It is a scam of more than Rs 5000 crores. So the CM cannot escape responsibility. Being the CM of the state, he should answer to the people of Karnataka. We demand that he should hand over the investigation of this case to the CBI.”

Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar also held discussions with legal experts on the issue of releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Following the meeting, he said the state government will also hold discussion with the officials of the Irrigation department.

“We have had discussions with our legal team, including Anil Dewan and Katharaki, on the future course of action, and we will soon have a discussion with the officials of the Irrigation department,” he said.

Notably, the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments are locked in a protracted tussle over the sharing of Cauvery river water. The river is seen as a major source of sustenance for the people in either state.

Earlier on Thursday, the Cauvery Water Control Committee directed Karnataka to release 1 thousand million cubic feet of water to Tamil Nadu every day. Following this, an emergency meeting of the Water Resources Department was called at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence.