Kolar, Oct 6 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday questioned why the Karnataka government had not proceeded with a Lokayukta investigation into the Siddhartha Trust over allegations relating to the allotment of government land.
He also criticised the Congress government and targeted State Home, IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge and his family over the issue.
Priyank Kharge is the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Speaking to the media in Mulbagal, Kumaraswamy referred to a High Court order in the matter and questioned why the government had not initiated a Lokayukta investigation into the trust.
He alleged that those invoking the names of Buddha, Siddhartha and Babasaheb Ambedkar should first address issues concerning their own families before criticising others.
The Siddhartha Vihar Trust is managed by Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife, Minister Priyank Kharge and other family members.
Complainant Vijayraghava Marathe has alleged irregularities in the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) allotment of an 8,002-square-metre civic amenity site in Banashankari, Bengaluru.
The complaint alleges that the trust secured a 50 per cent concession by claiming Scheduled Caste (SC) status and colluded with officials.
The Kharge family and their associates have denied the allegations.
Priyank Kharge has previously described the allegations as baseless and politically motivated attempts to tarnish the family’s reputation.
He has also stated that the aerospace land allotment referred to in the allegations had already been returned to the authorities.
Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy alleged that the Congress government was misusing the police department by registering false FIRs against opposition leaders and workers.
He claimed that matters that should be addressed before the Election Commission were instead being converted into criminal cases.
Commenting on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-JD(S) alliance, Kumaraswamy said minor disagreements at the grassroots level were natural in any political alliance.
He welcomed BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra’s view that discussions regarding seat-sharing could commence at this stage.
Kumaraswamy said the final decision on alliance matters would be taken by the party leadership.
He also dismissed suggestions that there would be no BJP-JD(S) alliance in Kolar district.
Kumaraswamy further criticised the state government over the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project and alleged that its policies favoured vested interests.
He also alleged that the government was attempting to raise funds through the sale of vacant BDA sites while failing to protect the interests of ordinary citizens.
Turning to the drought situation, Kumaraswamy said farmers across Karnataka were facing severe hardships and alleged that many were migrating in search of employment.
He questioned how many beneficiaries had actually received the Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 drought-relief assistance announced by the state government.
The Union Minister also criticised what he described as inconsistencies in the Karnataka government’s estimates of drought-related losses.
According to Kumaraswamy, different figures had been submitted to the Centre at different times, creating confusion regarding the actual extent of losses.
He urged the government to prepare a comprehensive action plan and submit a consistent assessment to the Centre.
Kumaraswamy said the priority should be ensuring timely relief for affected farmers.
MP Mallesh Babu, MLA Samruddhi Manjunath and former MLA Chowdareddy Thoopalli, among others, were present during the interaction with the media.
–IANS
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