Yeddyurappa to meet BJP top brass over land scam issue tomorrow

NEW DELHI - Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who has been summoned by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership following the controversy surrounding the allocation of de-notified State-owned land to his family members is likely to meet the party’s top brass here on Saturday.

It has been reported that the political embarrassment for the BJP in Karnataka is taking place at a time, when the party is spearheading its attack against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre on various issues of corruption.

Earlier on Thursday, the BJP core group met at senior party leader Lal Krishna Advani’s residence after the Congress used the latest developments in Karnataka to launch a counter-attack.

“Chief Minister and other important leaders will be called in a day or two to discuss the entire subject with the central leadership,” senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley told reporters after the meeting.

Meanwhile, B S Yeddyurappa today reportedly announced that all the sites and industrial lands given to his family members from Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is being returned.

He was questioned in Hubli following allegations of nepotism and unfair distribution of denotified land.

“Government order is being issued to nominate a retired Supreme Court Judge to probe all land allotments by BDA and KIADB since 1994,” he said.

The move comes a day after the State Cabinet ordered a judicial inquiry into allotment of land in the last ten years, which also covers the rule of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Dharam Singh (both of Congress) and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy.

B.S. Yeddyurappa had earlier on Thursday defended himself against the allegations on land scam issue.

“The land was given in accordance with the existing legal provisions. Land allocation and de-notification of sites has been practiced under various regimes. My government has also acted in the same lines. Two acres of land was given to a company run by my family members after following all the procedures,” said Yeddyurappa.

“The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) allotted the land to Eshwarappa’s son (grandson of Yeddyurappa). All the land purchased by my family is legal,” he added.

Recently, opposition leader H.D. Kumaraswamy had claimed that Yeddyurappa’s sons had been allotted 2.5 acres of de-notified land.

Kumaraswamy had also alleged that Yeddyurappa misused his position to de-notify state-owned land to favour his sons. (ANI)