HDK: Demolitions only for the poor?

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday came down heavily on the BJPled State government in an apparent reference to the demolition of an allegedly illegal house in Chikkamagaluru.

The JD(S) senior leader said that the rich were spared demolitions and only the poor were affected by it. “Malls that are built by encroaching on Storm Water Drains (SWDs), (illegally constructed) palatial bungalows are unaffected by bulldozers. On the other hand, bulldozers ruthlessly advance on the small houses of the poor, built with great difficulty,” Kumaraswamy said.

The former CM made the comments on the third day of the party’s Janata Mitra programme in Hebbal in Bengaluru. The 17- day programme is seen as an outreach to voters in all Assembly constituencies and wards of the city ahead of the 2023 polls.

Moreover, he blamed the BJP being in power at the state and Centre for bulldozer action becoming commonplace. “Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is supposed to provide houses to poor and (lower) middle class people is totally absent. This is what is truly indignant,” Kumaraswamy said. “As much as 30,000 acres of land has been grabbed in Bengaluru. If that land is recovered, we can construct houses for lakhs of poor people,” he added.