Bengaluru: After Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge's family returned five acres of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land in Bengaluru, the Opposition BJP intensified its criticism, questioning the "real motive" behind the move.
Siddhartha Vihar Trust, run by Kharge's family, hit the headlines after it was allotted KIADB land meant for civic amenities, under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/ST) quota. The five-acre plot was allotted at the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru.
However, now that the plot has been returned, the move has drawn fresh criticism from BJP with the party leaders raising questions at the "real motive" behind it.
BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Lahar Singh Siroya, who expressed his dissatisfaction at the trust for returning the plot amid probe by the governor, said “This matter is still under investigation by the Governor. Returning land at this stage isn’t right. I doubt whether KIADB can legally accept it before the probe is completed.”
Responding to BJP's allegations, Kharge's son and IT/BT and Panchayati Raj Minister, Priyank, argued that the controversy created by the BJP is not about legality of the allotment but a political vendetta. “The issue is not about allotting land for business purposes but the real problem is that Kharge's family is involved in it. Even if everything is legal, they (BJP) just don’t want to spare the family. They haven't moved beyond this mindset,” he added.
In a counter attack, Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra said, "Kharge family is in race for the chief ministerial post in Karnataka and probably this is the reason they decided to return the plot."
Earlier, criticising Kharge's family over land allotment, BJP's parliamentarian Lahar Singh had asked, "Is this about misuse of power, nepotism or conflict of interest? How did the industries minister, MB Patil, consent to this allocation in March 2024? When did Kharge's family become aerospace entrepreneurs eligible for KIADB land? Will this allocation be probed?"
Later on, the KIADB land allocation issue was taken to the Governor’s office. Singh had also questioned whether Kharge's family will hand over the plot like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's wife, BM Parvathi. The CM's wife had returned 14 plots, she received as compensation for land lost in Kesare, to the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
The allocation of the KIADB land, though said to be legal, ran into to controversy after BJP raised allegations of nepotism and power misuse against Kharge's family. Finally, the Siddhartha Vihara Trust returned the five-acre land to KIADB.
Notably, Karnataka Lokayukta and Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated probes into land allotments much before the plots were returned to the respective authorities.
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