New Delhi: Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda on Sunday dismissed a BJP leader’s allegations, claiming that he did not have any land, house or share in India. Accusing Pitroda of illegally obtaining 12.35 acres of government land near the Yelahanka area in Bengaluru valued at ₹150 crore with the help of senior government officials, including those from the forest department itself, BJP leader N.R. Ramesh said that Pitroda had used a fake address when applying for the land.
Ramesh, a past councillor of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), has lodged protests before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Karnataka Lokayukta. Pitroda responded on the social media platform ‘X’ by stating, “I want to clarify in light of certain reports going around in Indian television and print media today that I own no land, house or shares in India.”
The Congress leader, who is currently in the United States, also said that he never received a salary while working for the government of India in either the 1980s with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi or between 2004 and 2014 with Dr. Manmohan Singh. Throughout my 83-year life, I have never engaged in bribery, either in this country or any other. Pitroda said, “This is the truth of the world.
On the other hand, BJP leader Ramesh has filed complaints with the Karnataka Lokayukta and ED. Pitroda’s complaint states that in 1996, he had taken 12.35 acres of reserved forest land on lease from the Karnataka Forest Department for 30 years, and the lease was valid until 2011. On the other hand, Ramesh claimed that because Pitroda bribed the forest department, they did not recover the land where he was growing medicinal plants from which he earned crores.
Ramesh then says that the scam in question allegedly involves former Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Javed Akhtar (IAS) and several senior forest officials. Pitroda has more political influence and financial clout, he says, and therefore authorities have been unable to act against him. The complaint mentions the charges of corruption, illegal occupation of government land, and abuse of official position.