Karnataka BJP leaders on way to protest against MUDA 'scam' detained in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra and several other party leaders were detained here on Friday when were on their way to Mysuru to stage a protest against the alleged fraudulent allotment of sites to land losers by Mysuru Urban Development Authority, which involves plots given to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife.

They were scheduled to attend a protest rally in Mysuru -- the Chief Minister's home district- and lay a siege to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) office there.

Vijayendra and other BJP leaders were whisked away in a bus on the Mysuru Road near Kengeri here, even as they sought to resist police action.

They shouted slogans against the government.

"The Congress government is indulging in oppression. The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government doesn't have the strength to stop our protest. In the days ahead from every corner of the state our BJP workers will come and lay siege in Mysuru and also Bengaluru. They have stopped us today, but our protest will continue," Vijayendra said.

Announcing the protest, Vijayendra on Wednesday said that their demand is for allocation of sites to the poor by withdrawing those distributed illegally, a CBI probe into the "scam", and Siddaramaiah's resignation as the allegations are against the Chief Minister and his family.

It is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife Parvathi in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.

The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where MUDA developed a residential layout.

The controversial scheme envisages allotting 50 per cent of developed land to the person losing the property in lieu of undeveloped land acquired for forming layouts.

Denying the allegations, Siddaramaiah on Thursday alleged that he was unnecessarily being targeted in the case.

Claiming that a conspiracy is being hatched against him out of heartburn as he belongs to a backward class community and has become the Chief Minister for a second time, Siddarmaiaah had asserted that he won't fear such moves by the BJP.