Complaint against Kharge family trust again; Priyank terms it ‘baseless’

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader N.R. Ramesh has filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police and petitioned the Governor alleging irregularities in allotting land by multiple agencies in Bengaluru for the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, led by the family of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. There have been multiple petitions before the Governor earlier against the trust. The Governor had also sought clarification from the State government on one of those petitions.

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge responded to the complaint on social media platform X, terming it “a yet another attempt to malign my family”. “It seems I’m hitting a nerve and hurting the BJP, given their baseless accusations,” he said.

The complaint alleges that the trust was allotted a civic amenities (CA) site of 8,002 sq. m at BTM Layout 4th Stage here in 2014 for educational purposes by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). However,the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) allotted 5 acres of land to the same trust in Hitech Defence and Aerospace Park, Bagalur, to set up an R&D Centre and a Centre for Excellence and Training Institute, for educational purposes in March 2024. Mr. Ramesh has alleged that the same trust cannot be allotted land in more than one instance for the same purpose violating norms.

Mr. Ramesh has reportedly requested the Governor to grant sanction for prosecution against Mr. Priyank Kharge and Industries Minister M.B. Patil and IAS officer S. Selvakumar.

Clarifying on the CA site allotted by the BDA, Mr. Priyank Kharge said the BDA had allotted a CA site on a 30-year lease period for establishing a school at Devarachikkanahalli, BTM Layout, in 2014 to the Siddhartha Vihar Trust based on their board resolution in 2010.

“Some of the landowners had filed a case against the BDA seeking denotification of the land in the High Court of Karnataka. The matter is sub judice and these legal issues are between the BDA and the earlier landowners. The property belongs to the BDA and the trust is only a lessee. The trust is waiting and will abide by the final orders,” he said.

Published - September 27, 2024 10:20 pm IST