New Delhi: Is Congress on the back foot on another land related dispute? decision of Rahul KhargeThe decision by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son to withdraw his request for allotment of five acres of land in Bengaluru has again brought the grand old party’s land problems into the spotlight. The BJP immediately took a dig at the Congress and alleged that the party which was once associated with “bhu daan” (donating land) is now immersed in “land grab”.land grab,
Siddharth Vihar Trust Chairman Rahul Kharge had sought land to set up ‘Multi-Skill Development Centre, Training Institutes and Research Centre’. The trust had submitted its proposal to KIADB on February 12, 2024, and the proposal was approved a month later. However, in a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Industrial Development Board “Our request for a civic amenity site to set up a multi-skill development centre, training institute and a research center is being withdrawn,” Rahul Kharge wrote on (KIADB) on September 20. He said that its purpose Siddharth Vihar Trust Its objective was to create more employment opportunities for students and unemployed youth through skill development in emerging technologies.
Rahul Kharge’s U-turn comes amid the controversy over the MUDA scam involving Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati. Parvathi returned 14 sites to the Mysuru Urban Development Authority after the Lokayukta police registered a case against the Chief Minister, his wife and his brother-in-law.
Congress’s troubles increased further when, during the meeting of the parliamentary committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, a lawyer alleged that Mallikarjun Kharge was involved in it. waqf land scam,
Anwar Maniappadi, former chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission and Karnataka Minority Development Corporation and former vice-president of Karnataka BJP, named several Karnataka Congress leaders and others, including Kharge and Rehman Khan, for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Waqf properties. ,
The BJP has alleged that the entire top leadership of the Congress is involved in corruption related to land transactions and suggested that they should resign on moral grounds after being “exposed”.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi launched a scathing attack on the Congress and said these decisions were taken due to adverse CAG reports and legal proceedings, and this was an admission of sorts that the transactions were wrong. This, he claimed, was done to avoid humiliation in legal proceedings.
A party, which was once associated with the “bhu daan” (donating land) of Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave, is now engaged in “land grab” (land grabbing) under the “inspiration” of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. He accused.
The BJP MP told the press conference that both Gandhis are accused in the National Herald case, which pertains to the taking over of company properties at exorbitant nominal rates, and added that an investigation into the matter was initiated by his party earlier on the direction of the court. Came to power in 2014.
He said such land-related allegations have been leveled against Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel, both former chief ministers, and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, among others.
He said, “This clearly shows that the entire top leadership of the Congress is involved in corruption related to land grab.” He asked, “Should not those who returned the land resign on moral grounds?”
The BJP’s attack is nothing new for the Congress, which had faced similar allegations in Haryana over dubious land deals involving Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra.
The BJP has repeatedly accused Vadra’s company of acquiring 3.5 acres of land from farmers and the then Bhupinder Hooda government of Haryana of changing the use of the land, allowing them to make huge profits by selling the parcels at four times the purchase price. Got permission.
In another case, farmers sold their land in distress after the state Congress government issued a notification to acquire their land and then denotified it after a builder linked to Vadra bought it, he alleged. Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality was also accused of violations in the land transfer to DLF.
However, in 2023, the Haryana government had told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that no rules were violated in the transfer of land by Robert Vadra’s company to realty giant DLF. Vadra has consistently denied allegations of any wrongdoing and accused the BJP of targeting him out of political vendetta.
Clearly, the Congress needs to ensure that it stays away from getting into trouble in party-ruled states.
