The BJP in Karnataka has raised concerns over the allotment of a Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) plot to a trust run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family, led by his son, Rahul Kharge. The 5-acre plot is part of 45.94 acres reserved for civic amenities at the aerospace park, set aside under the Scheduled Caste quota, as reported by the Indian Express.
Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil confirmed the allocation to the Siddhartha Vihara Trust in March 2024, about a year after Congress came to power in the state. The minister clarified that due process was followed and no rules were violated. The land was allocated “at prescribed price, with no discounts,” he stressed, according to the report.
“Rahul Kharge has not been allotted an industrial plot at the Aerospace Park but a CA plot for establishing an R&D centre at a prescribed price, with no discounts given,” the minister said.
BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya made these allegations on X, questioning “when did the Kharge family become aerospace entrepreneurs to be eligible for KIADB land?” “Is this about misuse of power, nepotism, and conflict of interest?” he said.
“Rahul Kharge is an IIT graduate who has expressed his intention to establish a Research and Development centre on the allotted land. His family has a longstanding involvement in various educational activities. Under KIADB norms, CA plots can be used for setting up R&D centres, centres of excellence, technical institutes, skill development centres, government offices, banks, hospitals, hotels, petrol stations, canteens, and residential facilities. Anyone interested and eligible can apply for it and allotments will be made after recommendations from the state-level Single Window Committee,” Patil responded.
Patil alleged that the previous BJP government allocated 116 acres of land to Chanakya University in an industrial zone for just Rs 50 crore, causing a Rs 137 crore loss to the state exchequer.
“It would be helpful if Lahar Singh addressed this issue too,” he said.
These allegations emerge amid controversy involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has approved the prosecution of the CM over a controversial land allocation to his wife under the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scheme.
Priyank Kharge, son of the Congress president and a Karnataka minister, denied the allegations, stating that the plot awarded to the family trust was not an industrial plot, but rather for educational purposes. He clarified that the KIADB did not provide any subsidies or special considerations to the trust.
“Little knowledge is dangerous Sri Lahar Singh. Firstly, the site allotted is not an industrial plot meant for industrial or commercial purposes. It is for educational purposes. The intention of the trust is to set up a multi-skill development centre on the CA site. Is it wrong?” Kharge said in an X post.
Priyank is also a trustee of the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, which received the 5-acre allocation at the Hitech Defence Aerospace Park near Bengaluru. Formed in 1994, the trust’s other trustees include Rahul Kharge (its chairman) and Kharge’s son-in-law, Gulbarga MP Radhakrishna.
“There is no subsidy or subsidised rates for civic amenity plots allotted to SC/ST organisations. The trustees have a background in establishing and managing good quality and affordable education institutions. BTW, the Chairman of the trust has extensively worked in the prestigious Indian Institute of Science for many years. So, don’t worry about his understanding of science,” Priyank added in the post.
