Enforcement Directorate raids Muda's Mysuru office in high-stakes investigation
- In Reports
- 03:17 PM, Oct 18, 2024
- Myind Staff
On Friday, a team of 12 officials from the Enforcement Directorate raided the office of the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) as part of an investigation into a land allotment case that involves Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. During the raid, the officials held a meeting with senior MUDA staff, including Commissioner AN Raghunandan.
After the meeting, the officials are likely to confiscate case-related papers. To determine their role in the land allocation matter, the investigative agency will inquire with all MUDA officials. This comes a few days after K Marigowda, who was reportedly Siddaramaiah's close aide, quit as MUDA chairperson due to health concerns.
In an interview with the media following his resignation, Marigowda denied rumours that he left because of political pressure. He rather claimed that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked him to step down. "I have met the minister and submitted my resignation. The Chief Minister instructed me to resign, and following his directions, I did so," said he.
"There was no pressure on me to resign. My health is genuinely not in good condition, so I am stepping down voluntarily. I have known the Chief Minister for more than 40 years. He appointed me as district president and never asked me to do anything illegal, including anything related to MUDA. I am resigning for personal reasons; I have suffered two strokes and cannot continue," he further said.
The Opposition has called for Siddaramaiah to resign after the Karnataka High Court rejected his petition. He had challenged the Governor's decision to prosecute him for alleged irregularities in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scheme. The case against the Chief Minister involves claims that his wife, BM Parvathi, was given compensatory land in a wealthy area of Mysuru, which is more valuable than the land that was taken from her by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
MUDA allocated plots to Parvathi as part of a 50:50 compensation scheme for her 3.16 acres of land, which they developed into a residential area. However, activists claim that the land given to her as compensation is worth more than the land that MUDA took.
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