‘Can’t refuse if Siddaramaiah’s wife wishes to surrender plots’, says MUDA

The Mysuru Urban Development Authority cannot refuse if someone voluntarily wishes to return plots allotted them, said Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan as Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife has expressed intent to surrender 14 sites allotted to her in the wake of allegations.

MUDA Commissioner A.N. Raghunandan told THE WEEK the chief minister’s wife,  B.M. Parvathi, has communicated in a letter her intent to surrender the land plots. “We will accept the sites if they want to surrender. We cannot refuse if they want to give back the MUDA plot,” he said. 

The commissioner said CM’s son Yathindra Siddaramaiah gave Parvathi’s letter visiting the MUDA office and has requested to take back the allotted sites. “They have given us a request letter to take it back voluntarily. Since the case is under investigation, we will take legal advice and take the next decision,” Raghunandan told ANI. He added the agency will fully cooperate with Lokayukta’s investigation and provide all documents requested by them. He added the Enforcement Directorate has not contacted them yet.

In a letter to the MUDA commissioner, Parvathi stated that she was returning the 14 sites of varied dimensions allotted to her in Vijayanagara 3rd and 4th stages in Mysuru, which was given as compensation by the MUDA for having utilised her land  - 3 acres 16 guntas in Kesare village, survey no. 464, Kasaba Hobli and Mysuru taluk, sans any land acquisition. 

"I seek to cancel the sale deed executed in my favour by the MUDA and surrender the sites. I urge the authorities to take necessary action in this regard at the earliest," states the letter signed by Parvathi. Siddaramaiah took to social media to express his surprise over his wife’s decision to surrender the sites. 

Expressing surprise, Siddaramaiah tweeted, “I regret that my wife had to endure mental agony due to the political conspiracies against me. However, I respect  her decision to surrender the sites.”

In an open letter, Parvathi expressed anguish over the allegations against her husband in the MUDA case and stated that she had never imagined that a land gifted to her by her brother would create such a mess. "I am shocked by the allegations made in the MUDA case. I had never expected that these sites would one day lead to my husband unnecessarily facing allegations.  No house or property is greater than the dignity and peace of my husband,” she said. 

Parvathi said she didn’t discuss her decision to surrender the plots neither with her husband or son. Parvathi appealed to the media and the political leaders to desist from dragging women who have nothing to do with politics into the controversies.