Controversial real estate baron and two-time MLA of Vijaynagar constituency in Bengaluru city, M. Krishnappa, was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister in the Siddaramaiah government on Monday. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to him. It was announced late last evening (September 6) that Krishnappa has been allocated the Housing Ministry.



Krishnappa was widely tipped to be inducted in the cabinet when Siddhharamiah went in for a massive overhaul in June dropping some ministers and inducting 13 new. But Krishnappa missed getting a berth then. Angry supporters of Krishnappa had stormed inside Vijayanagar metro station and created a ruckus, demanding his inclusion in the ministry. As a result the Bengaluru Metro services were disrupted for a few minutes.



Krishnappa, a former police constable, entered the real-estate business in the mid-1970s and quickly earned notoriety as ‘Layout’ Krishnappa. His asset declaration in his 2008 election affidavit alone ran in to 15 pages and listed properties worth crores.



It was however his son Priyakrishna who stunned the entire state by declaring assets worth Rs 910 crores when he contested in a byelection as a Congress candidate from neighbouring Govindarajanagar. Priyakrishna won the bypoll and later went on to retain the seat in the 2013 assembly elections. Of the Rs. 910 crore assets of Mr. Priyakrishna, Rs. 815 crore were declared as moveable assets, in the form of investments and machinery, while Rs. 95 crore were shown as immovable assets.



In 2012 Lokayukta police conducted raids on residences of Krishnappa and Priyakrishna based on a private complaint alleging that Krishnappa had amassed wealth to the tune of about Rs 700 crore, disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Krishnappa’s induction is seen as a desperate attempt by Siddaramaiah to assuage the Vokkaliga community, which was upset over the lack of representation in the Congress government. Two prominent Vokkaliga ministers, M H Ambareesh and Kimmane Ratnakar, were dropped from the cabinet during the reshuffle in June.

Some local political observers also suggest that Rahul Gandhi’s close associate, Ramya, also known as Divya Spandana, a Vokkaliga, is also trying to position herself as a key Congress leader in the state.