Erased line in CM's wife's letter to Muda will be looked into, if necessary: HM

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Amid opposition charges of a coverup and tampering with documents, Karnataka Home Minister G Paramaeshwara on Thursday said the alleged erasure of a line using a whitener in a 2014 letter written by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife B M Parvathi to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) will be looked into, if necessary.

The Congress government on July 14 constituted a single member inquiry commission under former High Court Judge Justice P N Desai to probe the MUDA alternative site allotment 'scam'.

"It needs to be looked into. I don't know. They (opposition) have made a statement. The SIT or the investigation agency, will look into it if necessary," Parameshwara told reporters, in response to a question.

In the letter, Parvathi had sought alternative land in lieu of her 3.16 acres on which MUDA had formed a layout. Opposition BJP and JD(S) claimed that whitener was used to erase a line in which Parvathi specifically sought alternative land in the posh Vijayanagar Layout.

Since the allegations surfaced against him, Siddaramaiah, denying any wrong doing, has repeatedly maintained that his wife did not seek alternative plots in any specific locality.

"The Desai commission has begun its work, in case any one gets such information whether media or from public, they can say it before the commission instead of making public statements and creating confusion," Parameshwara added.

Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on August 16 granted sanction for prosecution of Siddaramaiah in connection with the 'scam', giving a jolt to the nearly 15 month old Congress government. Parameshwara responded to a question on Gehlot using bulletproof car for the first time on Wednesday amid mounting tensions between the ruling Congress and the Governor's office.

"We don't know about threat the Governor has, we are not aware as to who told him about the threat perception. He has sought security, it has been given," he said.

Further noting that BJP is protesting seeking Siddarmaiah's resignation, the Minister said, it is their right to protest, but there is no question of the Chief Minister resigning and there is no need for it On Special Investigation Team of the Lokayukta seeking prosecution sanction from the Governor against JD(S) leader and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, he said it was because "illegalities have happened."

"If it (Lokayukta's action) is called illegal, nothing can be said." To a question on BJP and JD(S) alleging that the government was trying to "safeguard" the CM, he said: "Why does the CM have to be safeguarded? Is he not safe? He is very safe.''