BENGALURU: The BS Yediyurappa Cabinet on Thursday decided to withdraw its approval for a lease-cum-sale of land deal with JSW Steel Ltd. The decision to “refuse confirmation”, after giving the nod in the previous meeting to sell 3,667 acres in Ballari, was taken amid stiff opposition from within the BJP itself. The cabinet’s U-turn on the matter is being seen as Yediyurappa taking one step back to ease the ongoing power tussle in the BJP.
Party MLAs, including Minister for Haj and Wakf, Anand Singh, had openly expressed disappointment over the land deal being approved, especially when BJP MLABasavaraj Bommais had vehemently opposed it during the Congress-JDS coalition government.“The previous cabinet meeting’s decision on land sale to Jindal has not been confirmed in today’s cabinet meeting. Since it has not been confirmed in this cabinet meeting, the decision will not be implemented,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters after the cabinet meeting. When asked if the decision came about after the BJP central leadership’s intervention following opposition from within the party ranks, the minister pointed to a technicality and denied that there was any pressure leading to change in decision.
“There is an appeal pending before the Supreme Court and a fresh PIL in the High court. There is a procedure called “confirmation” in cabinet meetings that allows for any decision taken in the previous cabinet meeting to be reviewed in the next meeting. This procedure has been in place since 1957. As per that procedure, many decisions taken by the cabinet may not be confirmed. When we earlier decided to go ahead with the sale of land, the High Court had overturned a lower court’s order staying the deal, but now a fresh PIL has been filed,” Bommai reasoned.
Sources in the party, however, suggested that the decision to withdraw the nod came after multiple complaints were registered with the central leadership over the “arbitrary” decision to approve a deal that the BJP itself had protested against. Party MLAs, including Arvind Bellad and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, had written to the Chief Minister expressing displeasure over the cabinet’s decision to sell government land to JSW Steel.
“We had protested against it vehemently when the Congress-JDS coalition government proposed to sell the land in 2019. How could the Chief Minister approve its sale without consultation or discussion with the party since a stand had already been taken on the matter?” asked a senior BJP MLA.
New PG courses and additional seats at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences at a cost of Rs 58.22 crore from Centre
Rs 25.7 crore for connecting roads from Mysuru Road to Uttarahalli Main Road in Bengaluru
Existing 5% horizontal reservation in job scheme for those dislocated due to irrigation projects extended by 25 years.
Other decisions
Special wards to be set up to treat kids in government hospitals, ICU beds to be set up in paediatric wards
Rs 90 crore to set up a model ultra-heated-treated milk packing facility in Haveri under PPP model
Amendments to Karnataka electric and energy storage policy approved to allow more concession, 15% capital subsidy on fixed assets in five equal annual instalments apart from subsidies extended by other states.
Prosecution sanction against former KPSC chairman rejected