Bangalore:
His explanation for how and why family members got prime property at bargain prices has been accepted as legitimate by senior leaders of the BJP.
But Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa may need to bolster his defence quickly.
New documents released by the Opposition in Karnataka show that in 2010, government land was de-notified or de-reserved and sold at heavily-discounted rates for a real estate business owned partly by the chief minister's immediate family members.
In May 2010, on Yeddyurappa's orders, close to 11 acres of land that had been acquired by the government for a public project was made available to a Dubai-based businessman whose company then went on to sell a part of that land to a firm linked to Yeddyurappa's sons, Raghavendra and Vijayendra.
The Opposition's demands for his resignation on grounds of corruption are getting more aggressive. The campaign is fronted by former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, whose revelations of property deals involving the chief minister's two sons forced Yeddyurappa to face two votes of confidence last month.
Addressing a presser, Kumaraswamy said, "The land scam is worth Rs 5000-6000 crore. Yeddyurappa must quit immediately for his misdeeds."
(Watch)Yeddyurappa says he will set up an inquiry commission headed by a former Supreme Court judge to decide whether he misused his office to grant government land to his sons. He has acknowledged giving a residential plot under the MP quota to his son, Raghavendra, who is an MP. He has also accepted that he allotted two acres of land outside Bangalore in an industrial area to a company whose directors included his sons.
But oddly, his main line of defense so far is that he hasn't done anything that earlier chief ministers of Karnataka - especially bête noire Kumaraswamy - haven't.
"The allotment of sites and denotification of land under special circumstances has been practiced under various regimes. My government has also acted in the same lines. No nepotism or favouritism is involved. My son, Raghavendra, has been given a site in his capacity as Member of Parliament. Two acres of land has been given to a company run by my family members after following all the procedures," he declared.
"No, no, no"- his emphatic response to whether he will quit while a commission of inquiry determines whether he's guilty.
Kumaraswamy says he will present more documents to the press soon to prove that Yeddyurappa has broken the rules.
The Congress, which many say is open to tying up with Kumaraswamy's JDS if the BJP government falls, is also in self-righteous mode.
"He has no right morally, legally to continue in office. I am demanding Arun Jaitley, Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Gadkari to give direction to Mr Yeddyurappa to step down immediately," says Congress leader Siddaramaiah.