After surviving removal as Karnataka chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa has decided to settle it with his opponents ? at least his chief rival in the state, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and his family.
The CM who was in Delhi on Wednesday on a ?thanksgiving trip? after surviving an attempted sacking, said that all property transactions of the former premiere?s family would be scrutinised thoroughly. ?If any illegality is found, then that land will be impounded by the government, and distributed among landless dalits,? he said.
Sources in Karnataka confirm that the CM has already ordered revenue department officials last week that a thorough scrutiny be made of all land holdings of Deve Gowda and his extended family, including former Karanataka chief minister Kumaraswamy.
? We have information that besides their ancestral property, Deve Gowda?s family holds a large amount of government land. We have found some evidence of it in Holenarsipura, Arkalgudu, Gaalipura, Chakennahalli, etc. In all they hold about 81.1 acres of government land on some pretext or the other,? said Yeddyurappa.
? We will ask them to return it within a week,? he said. ?Not just that, as long back as Januray 13, 1991, the Mysore divisional officer had given a report that Deve Gowda had taken over government land, and had asked that action be taken. That has not been done,? he said.
Former CM HD Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda?s elder son, appeared unfazed by these developments. ?The chief minister need not trouble revenue department officials over our land records, I will call a press conference and distribute copies of all our property papers myself. Not just from 1991, but from 1961, which is when my father had first become MLA in the Karnataka Assembly,? he said.
The controversy over Yeddyurappa and the political rivalries he inspires just doesn?t seem to end.