Do not own any land, home or stocks in India: Sam Pitroda dismisses allegations

Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has denied allegations that he illegally acquired 12.35 acres of government land in Bengaluru. BJP leader N R Ramesh has accused Pitroda of securing the land with the help of government officials and has filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Karnataka Lokayukta.

Allegations Against Pitroda

Ramesh, a former councillor in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), alleged that Pitroda, along with five senior government officers, including forest department officials, illegally acquired land worth Rs 150 crore at Yelahanka in Bengaluru.

According to Ramesh, Pitroda registered an organisation named Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) on October 23, 1993, in Mumbai. He claimed that Pitroda requested the Karnataka State Forest Department to lease a reserve forest area for research and conservation of medicinal herbal plants.


The department allotted five hectares (12.35 acres) of reserve forest land on a five-year lease at 'B' Block, Jarakabande Kaval near Yelahanka in 1996. The initial lease expired in 2001 and was extended for another 10 years, Ramesh alleged.

Lease Expiry and Land Reclamation Issue

The BJP leader stated that the lease granted to FRLHT expired on December 2, 2011, and was not renewed. He claimed that the Karnataka Forest Department was supposed to reclaim the land but had not done so in the past 14 years.

Ramesh has urged the ED to file a criminal case against those involved, including the officials responsible for overseeing the land.

Pitroda Denies Allegations

In response, Pitroda issued a statement on X, saying, "In light of recent reports in the Indian media, both on television and in print, I wish to categorically state the following: I do not own any land, home, or stocks in India."

He further stated, "Additionally, during my tenure working with the government of India -- whether with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the mid-1980s or with Dr. Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014 -- I have never taken/received any salary."

Pitroda added, "Furthermore, I want to put on record, unequivocally, that I have never in my entire life -- spanning 83 years -- paid or accepted any bribe, in India or in any other country. This is the absolute and irrefutable truth."

Investigation Request

Ramesh alleged that forest department officials had failed to reclaim the land despite the lease expiring in 2011. He has called for an investigation and legal action against all those involved in the alleged land grab.

The Enforcement Directorate and the Karnataka Lokayukta have yet to respond to the complaint.

(Inputs from PTI)