Bangalore: CM accepts Katta’s resignation

PTI

Bangalore, 03 December 2010: The land scam charges rocking the BJP ministry in Karnataka claimed its first political victim today when IT and BT Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu resigned, a day after the Lokayukta filed an FIR against him over a land deal.

 

Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa made a brief announcement about the exit of his trusted lieutenant and forwarded Naidu’s resignation letter to Governor H R Bhardwaj for acceptance.

 

"To facilitate an impartial probe by Lokayukta, Katta Subramanya Naidu has submitted his resignation today", Yeddyurappa, who himself recently got a fresh lease of life from the party top brass to remain in office, told reporters.

 

Anti-corruption watchdog Lokayukta had yesterday registered an FIR against Naidu and nine others as it found evidence in the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land scam.

 

The FIR points to irregularities in allotment of 385 acres to ITASCA Software Company, floated by an aide of Naidu.

 

For allotment of land and obtaining consent of farmers, most of whom were family members and associates of Naidu and his son Jagadish, illegal gratification of Rs 87 crore was allegedly paid to a benami company of Naidu and Jagadish, it said.

 

Lokayukta Santosh Hegde said yesterday that charges such as forgery, cheating, benami transactions, creating false documents, creating fictitious firms, among others, have been made out against the accused in the FIR.

 

A second FIR was also filed yesterday against Naidu’s son who is facing allegations of bribing a witness in a case involving securing of compensation for KIADB land acquired from him.

 

Katta Jagadish, arrested by Lokayukta police in September, is now on bail and the High Court had stayed the first FIR filed against him.

 

The first-ever BJP government in the South has been hit by alleged land scams that almost cost Yeddyurappa his position after the opposition mounted a sustained attack, accusing him of denotifying lands and allotting prime plots to favour his family members.

 

At the height of the opposition campaign gunning for his removal, Yeddyurappa had ordered a judicial probe into land scam charges against him, but did not spare his predecessors, JDS state chief H D Kumaraswamy, Dharam Singh, S M Krishna and H D Devegowda as he brought the charges against them during their tenure under its ambit.

 

Naidu is the third minister to quit after H Halappa, who resigned on a rape charge, and R Ramachandra Gowda over an alleged recruitment scam in Mysore and Hassan medical colleges.

 

Following Naidu’s resignation, the strength of the Yeddyurappa ministry has come down to 27, leaving seven vacancies.Opposition Congress leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah earlier today demanded Naidu’s immediate resignation and also dismissal of three KIADB officials against whom FIRs have been lodged.

 

Soon after Naidu resigned, a Congress delegation, led by former opposition leader in the legislative Council V S Ugrappa filed a complaint before the Lokayukta, seeking investigation into land scams in KIADB.

 

Siddaramaiah alleged that Naidu had a role in denotifying 78.36 acres acquired by KIADB near Bidadi in 2007 when he was Industries Minister.