New Delhi: Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka, alleging large-scale irregularities in the Bidadi Township project in Ramanagara district. He accused the state of attempting to “loot farmers’ land and distribute it to vested interests.”
Speaking to the media in New Delhi on Tuesday, Kumaraswamy claimed that “2,000 to 3,000 acres of land have already changed hands under the guise of the township project.” He urged people to give him five years of political power to “stop the looting of Karnataka’s wealth” and promised to reveal his strength if given a mandate. “Otherwise, in the current system, it is impossible to cleanse the corruption,” he said.
The Union Minister clarified that it was indeed his government in 2006 that had announced plans for five townships, including Bidadi. However, he challenged Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to revisit the fact-finding committee report led by senior Congress leaders H.K. Patil and Ugrappa, which had opposed the project at that time. “The same Congress leaders who opposed it then are now pushing it forward. Why don’t you show the people what that report actually said?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy alleged that under the Congress regime, land parcels of 500 acres, 300 acres, and 200 acres were being handed out selectively to powerful individuals. “This is the people’s land, not your private property. Your government will last only two more years. Will you complete this project in that time?” he questioned.
Defending his earlier initiative, Kumaraswamy said that during his tenure, he had held four public meetings with farmers, including consultations with women, before moving ahead. “I never acquired even an inch of land. The records are available — let them check,” he asserted. He added that he had planned the project with an investment of ₹60,000 crore and had even secured clearance from the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, but the scheme was halted after his government fell.
Countering allegations of displacement, he asked the government to prove how many families had lost homes under his watch. Citing the Shantinagar Housing Society case, he recalled how land originally meant for Dalits was diverted. “Even during Ramakrishna Hegde’s tenure, 70–80 acres were earmarked for Dalit housing, but we all know what happened to it in the end,” Kumaraswamy remarked.
HD Kumaraswamy, Bidadi Township, Ramanagara farmers protest, Congress government land scam, D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka politics, land acquisition, township controversy, Shantinagar Housing Society, Karnataka farmers
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