Congress and land deals have become synonymous, alleges BJP

The involvement of political families in a ‘land grab movement’ disguised as trust activities is highly inappropriate and the BJP strongly condemns it, the Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday said the Congress party had a “fascination” for land deals, and also asked if the latter’s leaders had become “property dealers”.

“...even the family of Congress’s national president, Mallikarjun Kharge, is now in the spotlight with the Siddharth Vihar Society [case]. Whether it’s Congress’s Chief Ministers or its national president, they are making headlines, and let’s not forget the much-talked-about damad (son-in-law) in the past,” Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The BJP leader alleged that in Rajasthan and Haryana, whether it was Ashok Gehlot’s government or that of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, respectively, favours were extended to the son-in-law.

“The BJP raises a serious question — why do Congress governments and their leaders have such a strong fascination with land deals? Have some of their leaders turned into property dealers? Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife was gifted a piece of land by her brother in Mysore. Later, due to a certain rule, they acquired two to three times more land within the city of Mysore. A complaint was then filed against this and the Governor sanctioned action under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Mr. Prasad said.

He added that although Mr. Siddaramaiah had approached the High Court and obtained a stay on the matter, the stay had been vacated and the court had observed that “some hidden hand is very evident” in the case. Subsequently, the Karnataka Lokayukta had filed a First Information Report.

“Seeing the seriousness of the matter, the ED (Directorate of Enforcement) also initiated a case. While the MUDA (Mysore Urban Development Authority) scam case was still ongoing, another case related to the Siddharth Vihar Society, said to be connected to the family of Mallikarjun Kharge, has come to light. First, they were allocated land, and then Mr. Siddaramaiah’s government gave them five acres of land within Bangalore’s high-tech defence area for an R&D facility. It’s quite surprising in itself how land was allotted in such a high-tech defence zone,” he said.

“The matter has also gone to the Lokayukta and is pending in court, where the judiciary will do its work. However, it is important to note that Mallikarjun Kharge is the national president of the Congress party and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha...if so many suspicious circumstances surround this entire fast-track allotment, which is the second allotment, then answers must be provided,” Mr. Prasad said.

“The BJP is not against land being authentically allocated to a legitimate trust. However, the involvement of political families in a ‘land grab movement’ disguised as trust activities is highly inappropriate and the BJP strongly condemns it,” Mr. Prasad said.

Published - October 01, 2024 10:57 pm IST