Remove Priyank Kharge from Cabinet, take back KIADB land: BJP

Karnataka BJP on Tuesday demanded the removal of Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge from the Cabinet in connection with alleged illegal land allotment to Kharge's family by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB).

The BJP has also complained to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and demanded action against the sitting minister.

"Priyank Kharge must be removed from the Cabinet and the land allocated to him must also be taken back. We have also complained with the Governor," Leader of the Opposition in Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy told media persons in Bengaluru.

He alleged that the family of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has been allotted five acres of land from the KIADB for the Siddhartha Vihara Educational Trust, which has Kharge's family members as trustees and office bearers.

"Kharge family got the allotment of land by misusing the power," he alleged.

He noted that while everyone has the right to obtain an industrial plot, there are certain laws governing the acquisition of CA (Civic Amenity) sites, which are meant for specific purposes such as social activities, auditoriums, hospitals, etc.

"The land was granted to influential people while other applications were rejected, raising suspicions," Narayanaswamy claimed.

He also pointed out that the plot was allocated to a private trust belonging to the family of Priyank Kharge, who is a minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President, and Congress MP Radhakrishna.

"The Siddhartha Vihara Trust in Kalaburagi, registered to build a Buddhist Vihara, is a religious trust, but it has acquired land meant for aerospace purposes," he said.

He said that the Dalit community is not limited to a handful of families and also criticised the allocation of five acres to a single family, suggesting that if 50 cents of land were given to 10 SC organisations, they could have thrived.

He also questioned the fairness in the distribution of land and highlighted the issue of nepotism, stating that they had taken an oath not to practice favouritism.

"This is not a public trust but a family trust," he alleged.

The complaint filed with the Governor's office stated that this is another case of nepotism by the Karnataka government.

"Siddartha Vihar Trust is being reportedly allotted five acres of land under the SC quota by the KIADB in the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru out of the 45.94 acres of land meant for civic amenities in March 2024," the complaint said.

"The question is how did the Kharge's become aerospace entrepreneurs? How did the department give a nod for this allotment? Was the Minister competing to allot the land by the Chief Minister," Narayanaswamy said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the land has been allotted to the Kharge family as per the provisions of the law.

"The Kharge family is eligible for the allotment of the land. How did the BJP during their rule allot land to Chanakya University," Siddaramaiah asked.

(With inputs from IANS)