A new political controversy has surfaced in Karnataka with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) questioning the grant of plot on the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) site to a trust run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family and headed by his son Rahul Kharge.
The 5-acre parcel was part of 45.94 acres set aside for setting up civic amenities at the aerospace park, to be allocated under the Scheduled Caste quota, according to a report in Indian Express.
Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil confirmed the allocation to the Siddhartha Vihara Trust in March 2024, about a year after the Congress came to power in Karnataka. The Minister said that no rules were violated, with the site given ‘at prescribed price, with no discounts,’ the Indian Express report said.
BJP leader and Member of Parliament (MP), Lahar Singh Siroya raised the allegations in a post on X quoting from a news website. He asked when did the Kharge family become aerospace entrepreneurs to be eligible for KIADB land? "Is this about misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest?" he said.
The allegations against Kharge and his family come amid the ongoing controversy over a land allotment scam involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has provided sanction to prosecute the CM over the disputed allocation of land under a Mysore Urban Development Authority scheme to his wife.
Responding to the allegations made by Siroya, Congress President's son and the Karnataka Minister, Priyank Kharge denied the allegations and said the site allotted was not "an industrial plot meant for industrial or commercial purposes". He said KIADB had not provided any subsidy or provided any relaxation to the trust run by the family to which the plot was awarded.
"Little knowledge is dangerous Sri Lahar Singh. Firstly, the site allotted is NOT an industrial plot meant for industrial or commercial purposes. It is for educational purposes. The intention of the trust is to set up a multi-skill development centre on the CA site. Is it wrong?" said Kharge.
Priyank is also a a trustee in the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, which was allotted the 5 acres at the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru. Formed in July 1994, its other trustees include Rahul Kharge (who is also its chairman) and Kharge’s son-in-law and Gulbarga MP Radhakrishna.
"There is NO subsidy or subsidised rates for civic amenity plots allotted to SC/ST organisations. The trustees have a background in establishing and managing good quality and affordable education institutions. BTW, the Chairman of the trust has extensively worked in the prestigious Indian Institute of Science for many years. So, don't worry about his understanding of science," Priyank added in the post.
(With ANI inputs)
