BJP accuses Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s family of land grab

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday accused Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his family of corruption over allotment of a five acre KIADB plot meant for aerospace entrepreneurs.

BJP IT cell head and national spokesperson Amit Malviya termed the allocation misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest while seeking answer from the Congress president.

https://x.com/amitmalviya/status/1828285663143235814 

BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya in a letter on Monday raised the issue and 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?” 

Replying to Siroya, Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said, "Rahul Kharge is an IIT graduate who has expressed his intention to establish a Research and Development (R&D) Centre on the allotted land. His family has a longstanding involvement in various educational activities.” 

Under KIADB norms, Civic Amenity plots can be used for setting up R&D centres, centres of excellence, technical institutes, skill development centres, government offices, banks, hospitals, hotels, petrol stations, canteens, and residential facilities, the Minister said.

“Any interested and eligible person can apply for it and allotments will be made after recommendations from the State-level Single Window Committee," Patil explained.

He further clarified that Rahul Kharge has not been allotted an industrial plot at Aerospace Park but a CA plot for establishing an R&D centre at a prescribed price, with no discounts given.

Taking a dig at the opposition parties, he said when the BJP was in power it had allotted 116 acres of land to Chanakya University in an industrial area for a mere Rs 50 crore, resulting in a Rs 137 crore loss to the state exchequer.

The minister emphasised that since he took office, a more transparent system has been implemented, where CA plots are allotted only after state-level Single Window Committee approval.

"Additionally, for the first time, we have introduced a 24.10 per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes in the allotment of CA plots," Patil noted.