Land Allocation Controversy Engulfs Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka's Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is facing accusations of impropriety regarding land allocation involving his wife, Parvathi. The controversy revolves around a 3.16-acre plot in Kesaru village, Mysore, which was allegedly transferred to Siddaramaiah's brother-in-law in 2005 and subsequently gifted to Parvathi in 2010.

The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) later acquired this land for development. In 2022, as compensation, Parvathi received 14 premium sites in Vijayanagar under a 50:50 scheme. Opposition parties claim these new sites are significantly more valuable than the original Kesaru land.

The situation became public when Manjunath Swamy claimed the land as his ancestral property, accusing his uncle Devaraj of fraudulently selling it to Siddaramaiah's brother-in-law. Revenue records show the original owner was Ninga, who had three sons: Mallaiah, Mylaraiah, and Devaraju.

Manjunath alleges his father Mylaraiah bought the land from Mallaiah and Devaraj in 1968. He claims Devaraj later tricked his family into signing blank papers, creating fake documents that were eventually cancelled by MUDA in 1998. Despite this, Devaraj reportedly sold the land to Mallikarjun without Manjunath's knowledge.

An investigation by India Today supports Manjunath's claims, finding evidence that Devaraj and Mallaiah relinquished their rights to the land in favor of Manjunath's father in 1968. Activists argue that Devaraj's sale of the land to Mallikarjun was illegal and unethical.

Siddaramaiah maintains that the land was legitimately purchased from Devaraj, the rightful owner, and that its transfer to his wife followed legal procedures. He asserts that Ninga originally acquired the land in 1935 and legally passed it to Devaraj.