Yeddy’s Aide Accuses Deve Gowda Family of 128.38 Acres Land-grab

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Nov 30: In the continuing saga of allegations and counter-allegations against Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his main detractors in the form of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supreme H D Deve Gowda regarding land-grabbing, it was the turn of Yeddyurappa’s political secretary B J Puttaswamy to hurl accusations against the Deve Gowda family of being involved in illegally grabbing 128.38 acres of land in Ramanagaram and Hassan districts.
          
Releasing copies of a set of official documents at a news conference, the Congressman-turned staunch loyalist of the BJP Chief Minister said the Deve Gowda family – particularly Deve Gowda and his sons H D Kumaraswamy and H D Revanna --  had allegedly illegally grabbed valuable gomala and tandbed lands and urged the state government to take back the land.
           
According to the documents released by Puttaswamy, the Deve Gowda family had illegally acquired 82.01 acres of government, gomala and tank bed area at Kamenahalli, Paduvalahippe, Galipura Kaval, Maragowdanahalli, Chakenahalli of Holenarasipura and Arakalgud taluks of Hassan district.
           
He disclosed that the then Divisional Commissioner of Mysore, Shantakumari, had submitted a detailed enquiry report on January 17, 1991, to the then Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, regarding illegal land grabbing by Deve Gowda and his family members in Holenarasipura and Arakalgud taluks and had recommended that suitable action be taken to take back the land.
            
But no action has been taken till today, he said and alleged that successive governments had not bothered to act on the official report regarding the alleged land grabbing.
           
Documents related to illegal acquisition of lands by the Deve Gowda family were missing and the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department had reported on October 28, 2010, that the ''original file is missing”.

''The investigating officer has also mentioned in her report that the original files are not traced even at the taluk office and at the deputy commissioner’s offices,’’ Puttaswamy said and wondered if the Deve Gowda family, which had publicly claimed its access to official documents, had somehow managed to get hold of these documents also.

''Kumaraswamy and Revanna at various occassions, proclaimed that if Deve Gowda or any of his family members have acquired illegal government or gomala and tank bed is proved, they would retire from active politics. If has become a practice for them to level allegations against other leaders if they are honest,” he said and refuse to own up their ''illegal activities.”

Puttaswamy challenged the Deve Gowda family either quit politics or distribute illegally acquired lands for landless families as publicly proclaimed by them.

In spite of being sufficient land holders, they were successful in getting government, gomala, gunduthopu and other lands illegally by violating the rules and regulations as laid down in Karnataka Land Grant Rules, he said.
The Divisional Commissioner, according to the BJP leader, had pointed out that ''in most of the cases, land grants and purchases are totally illegal’’ and even recommended that such transactions must be declared as null and void. The Deputy Commissioner has been ordered to take necessary action, he said.

He pointed out that Ms Shantakumari, in her report, had said that many of these transfers effected and the mutation entries were highly objectionable and have not been made properly. 

Puttaswamy said Kumaraswamy, MP, had illegally grabbed 22.06 acres by way of gift/daana at Kethiganahalli village of Bidadi hobli in Ramanagram district.

The former Chief Minister got the gift from his maternal aunt Savithramma on August 28, 2004 and got katha changed in his name on October 17, 2004.
Savithramma was not a native of Kethiganahalli and in spite of having two children, had gifted the land indicating that the entire transaction was not straight-forward.

''Kumaraswamy grabbed the land indirectly using the widow Savithramma,” Puttaswamy alleged.

The Deve Gowda family also grabbed 24.31 acres at Kethiganahalli of Bidadi from weaker sections by paying marginal price. The land belonged to the Scheduled Caste and other backward classes, Puttaswamy claimed.