BENGALURU: After criticised by opposition parties and others, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Rahul M Kharge, who is also chairman of the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, has written to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to cancel the civic amenity (CA) site allotted to the trust.
The letter, dated September 20, 2024, was shared by IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge’s office on Sunday. The trust had proposed to set up multiple skill development and research centres on the plot.
The five acre land was allotted for ten years on lease cum sale basis after Rahul Kharge earlier this year applied to purchase the land at the Defence and Aerospace Park at Devanahalli, which is close to the Kempegowda International Airport.
Interestingly, this letter has come to light after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Paravathy BM wrote to the MUDA chairman to cancel the 14 sites allotted to her at Vijayanagar in Mysuru in exchange for her 3 acre 16 guntas of land.
In the letter, Rahul Kharge stated the purpose of the land was to train youngsters and students and make them employable. The trust had preferred this area as it is close to many industries.
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Rahul Kharge “clarified” that the entity is not a private or family-run trust and all the institutions under it are “not for profit’’. He pointed out that the trust has not requested or received any financial subsidy, reduced allotment rates or other financial support for setting up the proposed centres on the land.
He said the cost of the CA site they had requested exceeded the cost of an industrial plot in the KIADB area. While SC/ ST entrepreneurs receive a 50 per cent concession, no such rebate is available for CA sites even for the applicants from the trusts run by SC/ST community, he pointed out.
Rahul Kharge mentioned that the trust cannot function effectively while facing malafide, baseless and politically motivated allegations. “We do not wish to be drawn into controversies which will divert our attention and efforts from our primary objective of empowering the disempowered through education and social service,” he said.
In light of all these circumstances, they withdraw the proposal, he stated and requested the board to cancel the allotment. “The board may accept this as a voluntary surrender of the CA site as per Clause 8 of the allotment letter,” he added. BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya posted on X that he felt vindicated.
“The Kharge family has returned the 5-acre KIADB land illegally allotted to them. When I had raised this issue I was threatened and abused by Kharge Jr. and his cronies. Truth has prevailed. After all, this may be a tactical move to seek the CM’s chair,” he posted. BJP members had slammed Kharge and his family members for getting the land at the prime location.