'My own people helped BJP with this': Byre Gowda refutes land-grab charge, hints at internal Congress sabotage

Belagavi: Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda (KBG) suggested that some ‘disgruntled’ Congress leaders and his department officials were behind the land-grabbing allegations against him, which he refuted in the Assembly on Friday.

“Some of my own people, those around me, helped BJP with this (allegation),” Gowda said in a suo motu statement, urging Speaker U T Khader to order a probe in this regard .

Gowda and his family have been accused of grabbing 21.16 acres of land, survey numbers 46 (a lake) and 47 (a burial ground), at Garudapalya in Kolar.

“When you’re working with strictness, there are those who accept us and those who’ll be affected. Those affected try to take it out on us. They include officials and people here (in the Assembly),” Gowda said. 

The Garudapalya village was bought by the Mysuru royalty in 1923. “For some reason, in 1953, my grandfather Chowdegowda got it for a 10-year lease. My family has been cultivating there since then,” Gowda said.

“I don’t know what happened, but the royal family decided to sell the lands even before the expiry of the lease. Before my grandfather could arrange the money, the lands were sold to one Habeebulla Khan in 1959,” Gowda said. 

The entire Garudapalya village measuring 256 acres was sold to Khan, Gowda said.

Chowdegowda approached the special deputy commissioner who issued an order in favour of Khan. Next, Chowdegowda approached the Mysuru Appellate Tribunal. “In 1965, Chowdegowda and Khan filed a compromise petition. Thereafter, the ownership came to Chowdegowda,” he said. 

Gowda showed the village map and pointed to two lakes. “The lakes still exist. We’ve desilted and revived them,” he said. “For one year, the RTC said it was a lake. Otherwise, consistently, all documents refer to this survey number as a stone hill. Right next to the lake, there are rocks,” Gowda said. Survey number 48 is also a lake, Gowda said, adding that it is still in the governmnet’s name. 

On the burial ground, Gowda said: “There’s only one 1964 document (prati pustaka) that mentions the burial ground.”

Gowda said he was even ready to relinquish the one acre. “It’s no big deal,” he said.