BENGALURU: Even as Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah finds his name dragged into allegations of corruption in the Mysore Urban Development Authority (Muda) site allotment case, Congress found another controversy blowing up in its face after a BJP MP alleged “misuse of power” in allocation of land under SC quota for Rahul Kharge, son of the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a social media post on Sunday, BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya referred to a report on five acres of land being allotted in Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to Siddhartha Vihara Education Trust, chaired by Rahul Kharge. The post questioned if it was not “misuse of power, nepotism and conflict of interest”, and wondered “how Karnataka industries minister MB Patil consented to the allotment in March”.
Karnataka govt denied BJP’s allegations and claimed that BJP had made similar allotments when it was at the helm. Patil said the allotment of a civic amenity (CA) plot at Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park was made according to KIADB norms and at a prescribed price.
Patil dismissed Siroya’s claims of rule violations, advising him to verify facts before making baseless accusations. Siroya had raised concerns about the trust’s eligibility for KIADB land and questioned the involvement of Kharge’s family in aerospace ventures apart from alleging misuse of power and nepotism.
Patil countered this by saying that Rahul Kharge, an IIT graduate, intends to establish a research and development (R&D) centre on the allotted land. He said that under KIADB regulations, CA plots can be used for various purposes, including R&D centres and technical institutes.
The allotment was made following recommendations from the state-level single-window committee and no discount was offered, Patil said.
He also pointed out that the previous BJP govt had allocated 116 acres of land to RSS-run Chanakya University for Rs 50 crore, which he claimed resulted in a loss of Rs 137 crore to the state.
In a social media post on Sunday, BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya referred to a report on five acres of land being allotted in Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) to Siddhartha Vihara Education Trust, chaired by Rahul Kharge. The post questioned if it was not “misuse of power, nepotism and conflict of interest”, and wondered “how Karnataka industries minister MB Patil consented to the allotment in March”.
Karnataka govt denied BJP’s allegations and claimed that BJP had made similar allotments when it was at the helm. Patil said the allotment of a civic amenity (CA) plot at Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park was made according to KIADB norms and at a prescribed price.
Patil dismissed Siroya’s claims of rule violations, advising him to verify facts before making baseless accusations. Siroya had raised concerns about the trust’s eligibility for KIADB land and questioned the involvement of Kharge’s family in aerospace ventures apart from alleging misuse of power and nepotism.
Patil countered this by saying that Rahul Kharge, an IIT graduate, intends to establish a research and development (R&D) centre on the allotted land. He said that under KIADB regulations, CA plots can be used for various purposes, including R&D centres and technical institutes.
The allotment was made following recommendations from the state-level single-window committee and no discount was offered, Patil said.
He also pointed out that the previous BJP govt had allocated 116 acres of land to RSS-run Chanakya University for Rs 50 crore, which he claimed resulted in a loss of Rs 137 crore to the state.
Source Agencies
