Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, while addressing reporters, said that his wife is “emotionally disturbed” because of the controversy surrounding the MUDA land allotment case, which is why she decided to return the land to the authority.
The chief minister also said that he did not understand why the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has decided to book him in the case, under money laundering charges.
Siddaramaiah said that his wife Parvathi BM, who decided to relinquish the ownership and possession of 14 plots that was allotted to her by the MUDA, was a victim of “politics of hate”. He said that he was surprised by her move to return the land.
He accused the opposition of dragging his family into the political slugfest against him, saying that Parvathi has been confined to her family since the allegations and is "suffering through psychological torture" because of the case.
"My stand was to fight without bowing down to this injustice but my wife, who is upset with the political conspiracy going on against me, has taken a decision to return these sites, which has surprised me too,” he said.
Read more: Karnataka CM's wife offers to return 14 sites to MUDA, 'Decision surprised me,' says Siddaramaiah
The Karnataka CM said, “My wife, who never interfered in my four decades-long politics and was confined to her family, is a victim of the politics of hate against me and is suffering psychological torture. I am anguished. However, I respect my wife's decision to return the plots.”
{{/usCountry}}The Karnataka CM said, “My wife, who never interfered in my four decades-long politics and was confined to her family, is a victim of the politics of hate against me and is suffering psychological torture. I am anguished. However, I respect my wife's decision to return the plots.”
{{/usCountry}}On Monday evening, Parvathi, rarely seen in public, wrote to the commissioner of Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), expressing her desire to surrender the14 sites allotted to her as compensation for the 3.16 acres of land belonging to her that had been used by the authority.
Her move came hours after the ED booked Siddaramaiah, Parvathi, and several others in a money laundering case linked to the MUDA land allotment case, taking cognizance of the FIR registered by the Karnataka Lokayukta.
In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by the MUDA.
(With inputs from PTI)