'Why land given to trust run by Kharge family', Karnataka Governor asks Congress government

Priyank Kharge confirmed on Monday that the Governor has written to the Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh seeking explanation, as he hit out at Gehlot accusing him of acting with a 'lightning speed' on complaints against Congress leaders, but with a 'tortoise speed' on ones against BJP and JD(S) leaders.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot (L) and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Credit: DH Photo, PTI Photo

Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has sought an explanation from the chief secretary over allegations surrounding the allotment of a civic amenity (CA) plot to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's family trust.

The governor has asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to give him a "factual report" based on a complaint lodged by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.

On August 27, Narayanaswamy urged Gehlot to dismiss IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge from the Cabinet on charges of "nepotism".

Priyank confirmed this and slammed Gehlot for showing "lightning speed" when it comes to Congress leaders while "moving at a snail's pace" on complaints against BJP and JD(S) leaders.

The governor is already engaged in a tug-of-war with the Congress government after sanctioning Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's investigation and prosecution in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam.

The Siddhartha Vihar Trust, founded by Mallikarjun Kharge and chaired by his son Rahul Kharge, had applied to purchase a five-acre CA site at the Hi-Tech, Defence & Aerospace Park at Devanahalli, near the Bengaluru airport earlier this year.

Upon selection, the trust is paying Rs 14 crore for the parcel. Priyank is a trustee at the nonprofit, prompting the BJP to level allegations of nepotism.

"When it comes to Congress, the governor shows lightning speed," Priyank said. "While documents against BJP and JD(S) leaders are lying on the governor's table, he hasn't sought any explanation. He has only sought some queries and sent back the files."

On his family’s trust purchasing a CA plot, Priyank said the BJP initially had 10 allegations.

"Then, it came down to five. Today, there is nothing," he said. "And, why is only Chalavadi Narayanaswamy speaking about this? It's the RSS conspiracy to pit Dalits against Dalits."

Priyank also accused Gehlot of providing "false information" that the Raj Bhavan does not have any files pending seeking prosecution sanction against Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, former BJP ministers Shashikala Jolle, Murugesh Nirani and G Janardhan Reddy.

"When a file goes to the Raj Bhavan, it won’t be disposed of until it is disposed of. Seeking clarification doesn’t mean the file has been closed," he said.