Kumaraswamy accuses Karnataka government of issuing fresh land acquisition notification for Bidadi project, questions CM’s interest
New Delhi/Bengaluru, July 15: Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday alleged that the Karnataka government had issued a fresh notification to acquire land from four villages for the Bidadi suburban project, even as farmers from three villages already notified for acquisition were protesting on the streets.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Kumaraswamy described the move as “inhuman” and “condemnable”, and directly targeted Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over the project. He alleged that while the Chief Minister was publicly stating that no land would be acquired forcibly and that he would wait for two months and form a committee, the government had simultaneously issued a fresh notification to acquire farmers’ land.
“On one side, the Chief Minister holds a press conference and stages a drama, and on the other, a notification is issued secretly to permanently displace farmers of four villages. It is inhuman and condemnable,” Kumaraswamy said.
He further alleged that people close to the ruling side had celebrated in Bidadi the previous night by bursting crackers and distributing sweets, claiming they appeared to have known in advance about the notification. Questioning the government’s intent, he asked whom the township was being developed for and in whose interest the exercise was being carried out.
Kumaraswamy said the government had spoken about forming a committee under the leadership of a judge, but had still gone ahead with a notification affecting three or four villages. He also referred to the celebrations in Bidadi and said the matter should be placed before the public in full detail.
He claimed people were now angry and warned against carrying out joint measurement of land without the consent of landowners. Referring to remarks he attributed to the Chief Minister, Kumaraswamy questioned whether such language was befitting the office of the Chief Minister and expressed concern over what he described as the state of affairs in Karnataka.
The Union Minister said Shivakumar had stated that the Bidadi suburban project was not his project and that he did not need it. “If that is the case, then why are you still continuing with it? Drop it immediately,” Kumaraswamy said.
He also rejected the suggestion that the current government was only continuing what he had initiated earlier. Kumaraswamy said that when he was Chief Minister, he had cancelled the entire township project after Congress leaders and farmers opposed it. He said he had publicly announced that decision in the legislature and in his Independence Day speech, and questioned whether the present Chief Minister was unaware of it.
Kumaraswamy said farmers were opposing the project and that he too was opposing it in support of them. He asked why the government was insisting on implementing a project that, according to him, nobody wanted, and alleged that hidden interests were involved.
He said the Chief Minister had himself stated that he did not require the project, and asked why he had taken it up and for whose benefit and purpose. Kumaraswamy alleged that farmers understood that land being taken in the name of a suburban project would eventually go to others.
Calling the move a “great sin”, Kumaraswamy said he did not want his name to be linked to it and maintained that he was only urging the government to drop the project because the people themselves did not want it.
He also objected to what he said was the branding of distressed farmers as “agents”, calling it an insult to the farming community. Referring to M.B. Patil, he said that if Patil had served as Industries Minister, then it should be asked what kind of agents he had kept. Kumaraswamy said he had neither kept agents nor intended to do so, and added that such practices belonged to “your culture”, in an apparent retort to the Chief Minister.
Kumaraswamy further criticised the government’s urban development approach, referring to Bengaluru’s past development in the name of Singapore and saying the city’s residents were still suffering because of it. He also referred to the “Brand Bengaluru” initiative and said that if a Bidadi township were created, only God knew what would happen next. He alleged that farmers’ lands could end up being “ripped apart and auctioned”.
Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister in 2006, Kumaraswamy said he had himself planned five townships to reduce pressure on Bengaluru city. He said he had held three meetings in the Bidadi region and had invited farmers to the Krishna office for discussions. He asked whether the present Chief Minister had shown similar courage or even the minimum courtesy of consulting farmers.
Kumaraswamy said that at the time, the then Union government led by the Congress had written to the state Chief Secretary regarding the establishment of Special Economic Zones. He said he had tried to persuade people and acquire land only after discussions, and had not resorted to coercion or strong-arm tactics. He added that he had not tried to drive out people who had depended on that land for generations, and said farmers should have been consulted before any notification was issued.
Addressing the Chief Minister directly, Kumaraswamy alleged that the government was trying to seize poor farmers’ land to benefit others and that Shivakumar’s own interests and dealings were hidden in the matter. He said that when the Chief Minister had earlier delivered a speech with a written note in hand, “fear” and “guilt” were visible on his face, and alleged that such guilt could not be concealed.
He further said he had neither the time nor the inclination to be jealous of the Chief Minister, and claimed that the government was making plans only to “loot as much as possible”. Kumaraswamy said people could not believe that anything beneficial to them would come from such a government. He challenged the Chief Minister to leave the people’s land untouched if he had the strength to do so.
Kumaraswamy said every development that took place when he scrapped the project was on record. Referring to DLF, he said the Chief Minister had spoken about it, and added that the whole world knew who had what kind of relationship “at higher levels”, saying that would also be disclosed when the time came.
In another sharp attack, Kumaraswamy alleged that he had never engaged in acts such as abducting children and threatening parents to get land transferred, and said he did not know how to live a “bad life” like “you”. He also criticised Shivakumar over what he described as repeated references to having gone to jail, asking whether he had gone to jail as part of the freedom struggle. Kumaraswamy said the truth would come out one day and not much time was needed for that.
He also referred to what he described as fear and guilt visible on the Chief Minister’s face whenever he spoke, and accused him of having a “hard heart”. Kumaraswamy alleged that injustice had also been done to “Kumarakrupa Paramparika Katte” and said the Chief Minister’s “pot of sins” was filling up. He said power was not anyone’s permanent property and claimed the people of the state were waiting to teach him a lesson.
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