Mallikarjun Kharge family returns allotted 5 acres land to KIADB amid MUDA scam

Amid the allegations and investigations against CM Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) land scam, Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge and his family have decided to return the five acres of land allotted to the Siddhartha Vihara Trust owned by the Kharge family.

As per reports, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) had allotted the land to to Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, Rahul M Kharge, in the Hi-Tech Defence and Aerospace Park in Bagalur.

The five-acre of land was allocated under the Schedule Caste (SC) quota to the Siddhartha Vihar Trust. The trust includes several Kharge family members, such as Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, his son-in-law and Kalaburagi MP Radhakrishna, and son Rahul Kharge, as trustees.

On March 2024, when the Karnataka Congress government granted land to the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, headed by Rahul Kharge. The BJP was quick to criticise the allotment, with Amit Malviya, head of the party's IT cell, accusing the government of "misuse of power" and "nepotism".