Congress Targets Opposition Leader Over Land Denotification

Karnataka's ruling Congress targeted Leader of Opposition, R Ashoka, for criticizing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over a land surrender matter. Congress ministers accused Ashoka of an illegal denotification scheme involving Bangalore Development Authority land, mirrored by his criticism of the CM's wife's land issues.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka targeted Leader of Opposition R Ashoka on Wednesday, accusing him of similar land irregularities that he had earlier alleged against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife. The allegations, raised during a joint press conference by ministers G Parameshwara, H K Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, and Satish Jarkiholi, centered on Ashoka’s return of illegally denotified land to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which in turn saved him from legal trouble.

The Congress leaders presented documents related to about one acre of land at Lottegollahalli, which Ashoka had reportedly denotified illegally and later returned to the BDA as a 'gift'. They questioned how Ashoka managed to register the BDA-notified land in his name and later denotify it via an unrelated third party application.

Ashoka's actions came under scrutiny, especially since he had pointed fingers at the CM and his wife for returning 14 contested sites in the 'MUDA scam'. The Congress ministers called for Ashoka's resignation and a deeper investigation into his land dealings, while defending Siddaramaiah's actions as legal and compensatory.