BENGALURU: Siddhartha Vihara Trust owned by the family of president of All India Congress Committee Mallikarjun Kharge decide to withdraw their request for a civic amenity site in Bengaluru zone after the land allotment by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) met with opposition from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of Karnataka.
The Siddhartha Vihara Trust planned to set-up a Multi Skill Development Centre, Training Institute and a Research Centre in Bengaluru. The land allotment irked BJP leaders and the leaders accused the ruling Congress government in Karnataka of undue favour to Mallikarjun Kharge family run Trust.
Though a withdrawal letter by Rahul M. Kharge, Managing Trustee of the Trust was written to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), Bengaluru on September 20 this year but it was made public on Sunday.
The letter from the Managing Trustee asked the Chief Executive Officer, KIADB may kindly accept this as a voluntary surrender of the CA site as per Clause 8 of the allotment letter.
“We do not wish to be drawn into controversies which will divert our attention (Trust) attention and efforts from our primary objective of empowering the disempowered through education and social service,” said the withdrawal letter from Rahul M. Kharge.
The Siddhartha Vihara Trust planned to set-up a Multi Skill Development Centre, Training Institute and a Research Centre in Bengaluru and a request for a civic amenity site was made by the Trust to Karnataka Industries Area Development Board (KIADB), Bengaluru on February 12, 2024. In response to the proposal of the Trust, KIADB allotted land to the Trust on May 30 this year.
The land was allotted to the Trust on a lease-cum-sale basis for 10 years. As of now, only an allotment letter has been issued to the Trust by KIADB and no lease deed executed in this regard.
Over the surrender of the allotted civic amenity site by Kharge family, State president of BJP B.Y. Vijayendra termed the surrender of CA site by Kharge family is bowing to the pressure from the BJP in its fight against scams in Karnataka.
Vijayendra pointed out Kharge has followed the footsteps of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in surrender of CA site before the land allotment issue landed in the Court.
Earlier, CM’s wife B.M. Parvathy surrendered 14 plots to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in Mysuru city after the Enforcement Directorate filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against CM, Parvathy and a couple of others.
