BJP Accuses Kharge Family of Land Scam in Karnataka, Congress Denies Allegations

BJP Accuses Kharge Family of Land Scam in Karnataka, Congress Denies Allegations

In a fresh controversy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his family of having a hand in a land scandal in Karnataka. The party claimed a trust run by Kharge’s family got land use allotted through the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) under dubious circumstances.

The charges first came into the public domain by a BJP leader Lahar Singh Siroya, who questioned the 5 acres being given in the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bangalore to Siddhartha Vihara Trust run by the Kharge family. The allegation is that the land, which is meant for civic amenities under SC quota, was wrongly assigned to the trust run by Kharge; therefore, it was considered that there must be nepotism and the use of muscle power to get the land. It turns out that the trustees in this trust include Kharge himself, his wife, son-in-law, and sons, as one family, and, notably, Karnataka government minister, Priyank Kharge.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted, “Kharge land scam? 7 questions on the validity of land allotment.” Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya said that the case is yet another example of misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest in the Congress-led Karnataka government.

The Congress-led state government, however, has rejected the charges, saying that the land allotment was done as per the rules. Providing clarification on this, State Minister MB Patil said the land has been allotted to Rahul Kharge, an IIT graduate, to build an R&D centre. Patil, however, argued that the land was a civic amenity plot and not an industrial plot. Allotment was made at a prescribed price and not a discount price. He also pointed out that the Kharge family had long involvement in educational activities.

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Patil continued further to justify the allocation, saying as per norms of KIADB, these CA plots could be used for the purpose of extending areas invested for R&D centers, technical institutes, and others. He took on the opposition, saying that during the BJP’s rule, 116 acres of land in industrial area went to Chanakya University for a mere Rs 50 crore, causing a huge loss to the exchequer.

A war of words breaks out between the two political parties, as the political battle over the alleged “Kharge land scam” heats up, with the BJP demanding a probe and the Congress defending its actions.