BENGALURU: The state unit of BJP on Thursday announced that it will organise a massive protest at Freedom Park here on January 5 against the Congress government’s “hasty” decision to provide houses to the families affected by the recent demolition drive at Kogilu.
After a meeting of BJP’s fact-finding committee,Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath said that his party will expose what he called a blatant reward for law breakers.
He said, “How can the government rush to allot houses in a week to those who had illegally occupied its land, while genuine poor Kannadigas wait for years?”
Vishwanath said the committee will inspect the land, collect survey numbers and details of families that had been living there after encroaching it.
Slamming the Siddaramaiah government’s decision, Vishwanath said, “In my constituency, houses are under construction. But people who paid money six years ago for houses under various government schemes got nothing. Such beneficiaries in Bengaluru need a five-year residency certificate from revenue officials. It is illegal to issue such certificates to people whose unauthorised houses had been demolished. Efforts are being made to grant houses overnight to encroachers.”
Vishwanath said, “Providing electricity connections to illegal structures on government land itself is a crime. Cases should have been filed against those who had helped such families get electricity connections.”
“If the government goes ahead with its decision, we’ll challenge it in a court of law and also petition the governor,” he said.
Govt rewards encroachment, says BJP MLA
Yeshwanthpur MLA ST Somashekar has strongly opposed the Karnataka government’s decision to provide houses to families displaced by the removal of encroachments in Kogilu Layout, Bengaluru. Somashekar criticised the government’s move to hand over houses, saying it rewards illegal encroachment while the genuine poor across the state await housing for years.
He echoed BJP leaders’ concerns that prioritising these evictees could encourage further land grabs and questioned the verification of beneficiaries’ backgrounds. Opposition leaders have highlighted inconsistencies in rehabilitation policies compared to previous eviction drives. As surveys continue to identify eligible families, the government has postponed house handovers amid mounting criticism.