Waqf scam: Cong leaders made offers, says Anwar Manipaddy on K’taka CM’s bribe charge

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Bengaluru, Dec 15 (IANS) Former Minority Commission Chairman Anwar Manipaddy on Sunday refuted the bribery charge levelled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying the Congress leaders have been offering him bribes to suppress the Waqf encroachment report.

CM Siddaramaiah on Saturday alleged that BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra “tried to bribe” the former Minority Commission Chairperson during the previous government with Rs 150 crore to suppress a probe into the Waqf property encroachment.

Speaking to the media, Anwar Manipaddy stated that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has any genuine concern and love for Muslims, he should hand over his report on the Waqf encroachments to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“The offer in this regard was made by the Congress. They asked me to settle in the US as I had the Green Card. Vijayendra never said that he would give Rs 150 crore. In 2012, when I was the Minority Commission Chairman, I had never heard of Vijayendra’s name. He was the Vice President of the party,” Anwar stated.

“I remember talking to him about the implementation of the report since his father B.S. Yediyurappa was the CM. I criticized Vijayedra then for various reasons, but he has not made any offer of Rs 150 crore to me. After I followed the presentation of my report in the Assembly, then CM Yediyurappa placed it in the session,” Anwar stated.

“The Congress leaders had made offers for three to four years. But I had rebuked them and sent them back. Now, they fear talking to me. The Waqf has a total land of 54,000 acres. In this, 27,000 to 28,000 acres are encroached. The Waqf board presently has 23,000 to 24,000 acres of land with it. Issuing notices to farmers claiming the ownership of 1.60 lakh acres to the Waqf board is being done by the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with an intention to create strife between Hindus and Muslims,” Anwar Mannipaddy slammed.

“My findings given in 7,000 pages about the encroachment of Waqf properties by the powerful, including Congress leaders, is just the tip of the iceberg. If the CBI starts a probe, the illegalities and encroachments will run up to 70,000 pages,” Anwar Mannipaddy stated.

“The Congress tries to use money and muscle power on me to suppress the report. My personal secretary Ateeq’s retirement benefits were withheld and the court had given him relief. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is being pressured from all sides over the Waqf issue. He is trying to hide everything and bringing up the name of Vijayendra to divert the issue of encroachments,” he stated.

CM Siddaramaiah in his press statement on Saturday demanded the CBI probe against Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra for trying to hush up the Waqf scam report by allegedly offering Rs 150 crore to former Minority Commission Chairman and BJP leader Anwar Mannippady.

Vijayendra has dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s bribery allegations as “baseless”.

Responding to the allegations, Vijayendra questioned, “You (CM Siddaramaiah), who is terrified of CBI and ED investigations, have questioned the Governor’s approval for prosecution and tried in vain to protect yourself legally by hiring senior lawyers from New Delhi. After facing humiliation due to the High Court’s verdict, what moral standing do you have to demand a CBI investigation against others?”

–IANS

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MP CM to inaugurate Sarsi resort in Shahdol, 200-bed hospital in Mauganj today

Bhopal, Dec 14 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will on Saturday inaugurate the Sarsi Island Resort that has been built and developed by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department in Shahdol district.

Located in the middle of the Son river, the Sarsi Island Resort is entirely surrounded by water and can only be accessed via boat services from Itma Ghat and Markandeya Ghat.

The Sarsi Island Resort features 10 eco-friendly huts.

“These beautiful huts are designed to offer visitors an experience of a lifetime and the accommodations are a perfect amalgam of comfort with sustainability,” a senior official of the tourism department said.

The resort is located near prominent tourist destinations, most prominent among them being the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR).

The tiger reserve is of vital importance considering its diverse flora and fauna and is known for the healthy population of tigers and a wide variety of herbivores.

It is unique from the point of biodiversity, as it comprises hills, rivers, marshes and meadows and consequently, a diverse vegetation.

Apart from tigers, as many as 34 species of mammals have been listed and nearly 260 species of birds and 70 species of butterfly can be found there. It will be a major attraction for the tourists staying at the island resort.

Set on the picturesque backwaters of the Bansagar Dam in Shahdol district of the state, the Sarsi Island Resort has been built with modern facilities to attract all class of tourists.

Beside a gym, a library, and a kid’s play zone, a conference room has also been built where business meetings and other events can also be organised.

Officials said the Sarsi resort has been developed to draw tourists along with boosting regional tourism that will support the local economy in turn.

Later in the day, Chief Minister Yadav will visit Mauganj district to inaugurate a newly-built 200-bed hospital and will also lay the foundation of several other projects in the area.

Notably, Mauganj, which was a part of Rewa district, was made a separate district last year.

The Madhya Pradesh government has promised to provide all facilities to the new district to aid in its development.

–IANS

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Gurugram: Miscreants set parked car on fire, panic prevails in area

Gurugram, Dec 16 (IANS) Some miscreants targeted a parked Maruti Eco car near the old jail complex over a minor dispute in an area under Shivaji Nagar police station here on Monday.

However, in connection with the incident, no complaint has been filed so far.

Meanwhile, Gurugram Police started an initial investigation into the matter.

After the incident, locals rushed to pacify the fire but by then, the car was completely engulfed in flames. Police is looking for the suspects who set ablaze a vehicle.

It is being said that a minor fight took place between the two groups on Sunday night in the area which resulted in this incident. On Sunday, night the miscreants had also broken the widow pain of a Swift car.

“A group of few suspects who arrived in the morning created a lot of ruckus and set the vehicle on fire. They also broke a roadside Dhaba and fled the spot,” a police officer privy to the matter said.

Soon after the incident, panic prevailed in the area on Monday.

“The investigation teams are scanning the CCTV camera installed in the area which could help in revealing the details of the miscreants involved in the incident,” Sandeep Kumar, spokesperson of the Gurugram Police said.

During the investigation, locals revealed that the car was torched due to a fight between two groups but they failed to disclose the motive behind the incident. They suspect that the fight broke out over food at the Dhaba on Sunday night.

On Monday morning, on receiving the information, a police team reached the spot and along with the locals, doused flames and controlled the fire.

The CCTV cameras at the squares and roundabouts would be investigated. Based on the details provided by the victim the case would be registered. Further investigation in the matter is underway.

–IANS

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MUDA case: Complainant Krishna asks Lokayukta to file new plaint on CM Siddaramaiah on ED’s report

Mysuru (Karnataka), Dec 12 (IANS) The complainant in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, Snehamayi Krishna submitted a petition on Thursday to the Karnataka Lokayukta demanding lodging of a fresh FIR against CM Siddaramaiah and others based on the findings of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had recently submitted its findings to the Investigating Officers in the Lokayukta confirming illegalities.

“The Supreme Court in its judgment in the case of ‘Vijay Madan Lal Choudhary and Union of India’ has made clear observations in this regard. The judgement had given detail explanation on the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and filing of an additional case,” he stated.

The verdict clearly states that when the ED gives such an opinion, even as the case is lodged earlier, another fresh case could be lodged.

“Hence, I am submitting the petition along with the copy of the Supreme Court judgement,” he stated.

“In this backdrop, considering the Supreme Court’s order, based on the information sent to the ADGP Lokayukta by the ED investigating the MUDA case under the PMLA Act, I request you to lodge a fresh complaint against CM Siddaramaiah and others,” he demanded.

The submission has been made to the Superintendent of Police for Mysuru Lokayukta who is in charge of the investigation of the case.

Petitioner Krishna has made an appeal in the High Court to hand over the case to the CBI while CM Siddaramaiah has appealed for quashing of the case against him.

The government had criticised the ED for writing a letter to the Karnataka Lokayukta in connection with the MUDA case.

Minister Priyank Kharge said that the ED and IT were “puppets” of the Central government.

Siddaramaiah’s legal advisor and MLA A.S. Ponnanna said that ED officials have acted illegally.

“An FIR will be registered. Under the PMLA, the ED has no jurisdiction in this case. Their intervention is politically-motivated. We had decided not to speak during the probe. Their investigation is not about uncovering the truth but about suppressing it,” said Ponnanna.

CM Siddaramaiah stated that the ED’s letter to the Lokayukta is to influence the judiciary against him.

The ED, in a recent communication sent to the Karnataka Lokayukta department, claimed that MUDA had “illegally” allotted a total of 1,095 sites in benami and other such transactions.

It also stated that the whole process of allotment of sites to CM Siddaramaiah’s wife was found to be illegal.

The agency has also claimed to have found evidence that one of CM Siddaramaiah’s assistants, S.G. Dinesh Kumar alias C.T. Kumar, wielded “undue influence” in the process.

“Most of the allotments have been made in the name of Benami or dummy persons in the guise of land losers. However, the beneficiaries of these illegal allotments are real estate businessmen and influential people,” the ED said.

IANS

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