BENGALURU: Bengaluru-based activist K Paul Arunagiri has sent a legal notice through his advocate, S Dore Raju, to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his council of ministers, challenging the grant of 3,667 acres of land in Toranagallu, Sandur, in Vijayanagar district, to the Jindal Group. Dore Raju, who had served as state public prosecutor under Yediyurappa in 2008, has also filed a PIL before the high court on the issue. Arunagiri has called for the government to cancel the April 27 cabinet decision to sell the land at a “throwaway price” of Rs 1.22 lakh per acre.
The parcel of land lies in mineral-rich Vijayanagar district, newly carved out of erstwhile Ballari district. The notice follows resistance from within the party fold, with several leaders voicing their protest against the sale. Party’s Chief Whip in the Assembly, Sunil Kumar, has made his displeasure known to the central leadership in Delhi. He told TNIE, “I am not aware how we have changed our stand on an issue which we had opposed in the past.
No one has addressed the issue at the party forum or legislature party forum, so I am of the ‘original’ party view that we should not sell this land. I am curious how our party, which opposed the sale, has now changed its stand.” Experts said the land is worth about Rs 4,000 crore, but was being sold for a mere Rs 44 crore, or just one - hundredth of the market value.
A goup of MLA s, comprising Uday Garudachar, Poornima Krishnappa, Arvind Bellad and Basanagouda P Yatnal had also written to the central leadership three weeks ago, expressing their displeasure. Highly-placed sources told TNIE that CM Yediyurappa had personally called up Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar and sought an explanation. Garudachar had reportedly replied that he would not have objected if the land had been given to someone from the state. The CM had said the firm had done a great deal for Karnataka.