Stepping up its attack on the alleged land scandals, opposition Janata Dal - Secular on Monday accused Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa of denotifying some land in Bengaluru in violation of court rulings and levelled bribery charges against him.
Former chief minister and state JD-S president H D Kumaraswamy alleged that Yeddyurappa had denotified more than five acres acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority for a layout at Nagarbhavi in violation of Supreme Court and high court orders and overruling objections of officials.
The Congress and JD-S have been accusing Yeddyurappa of denotifying certain land for the benefit of his family members, a charge rejected by the chief minister. JD-S leader and former law minister M C Nanaiah saw the chief minister's action as a case of 'total bribery and kickback'.
Given the market value of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per square feet in Nagarbhavi, the value of the denotified land was as high as Rs 250 crore, Nanaiah claimed, adding that it's well-known that those who get the land notified normally pay a bribe of around 50 per cent.
It is an absolute misuse of power, he charged, adding that the JD-S was looking into the matter from a legal angle. Kumaraswamy, who is also a Lok Sabha member, accused Yeddyurappa of throwing to winds the court rulings and officials' objections in notifying this land.
He said he would hand over documents in the case to the Lok Ayukta, seeking a probe. Kumaraswamy also said that he would make details of the notified land made during his tenure as chief minister public soon on his own volition.
With the opposition parties demanding the dismissal of the BJP government over the land denotification issue, Yeddyurappa had on Sunday announced a special three-day state legislature session in September to discuss the alleged scams that took place in the last ten years.
