BJP seeks dismissal of Kharge's minister-son over land allotment

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: The BJP on Tuesday petitioned the Karnataka Governor seeking the dismissal from Cabinet of Minister Priyank Kharge over the alleged allotment of a land to a trust run by his family including his father and Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge.

Alleging "nepotism", Leader of Opposition in Kar nataka Legislative Council Chalavadi T Narayanaswamy claimed that it is a case of criminal breach of trust from the Kharges towards the fellow Schedule Caste entrepreneurs.

However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defended the land allotment and said it has been done in accordance with law. Priyank Kharge, who is the Minister for Electronics, IT/BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj in the Congress government, asserted that there was no illegality, and accused the BJP of trying to indulge in politics by complaining to the Governor.

"With utmost pain I bring to your kind knowledge another case of nepotism of the Karnataka Government," Narayanaswamy said in a letter submitted to the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot during his meeting with him.

Siddhartha Vihar Trust is being reportedly allotted five acres of land under the SC Quota by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru out of the 45.94 acres meant for civic amenities (CA) in March 2024, he said.

Interestingly, the trustees of the Trust include Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife Radhabai, son and Minister Priyank Kharge, MP and son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani, and younger son Rahul Kharge, he further noted.

Questioning how the Kharges became aerospace entrepreneurs, he said: "How did the department give a nod for this allotment? Was the minister (Industries) compelled to allot the land by the Chief Minister?"

He urged the Governor to take cognisance of the seriousness of the matter and dismiss Priyank Kharge frorn the Cabinet for "snatching away yet another opportunity from the deserving SC Entrepreneurs."