JOIN USState BJP president B S Yeddyurappa on Friday mounted an attack on the coalition government by accusing it of taking kickbacks from JSW Steel for giving away land in Ballari, as the saffron party began its two-day dharna on the issue.
Almost all elected representatives of the BJP, including MPs, MLAs and MLCs, staged dharna in front of Gandhi statue near Anand Rao circle demanding that the government should cancel its decision to give 3,667 acres land to the company in Ballari. The BJP leaders staged dharna overnight.
The government is giving the land at a throwaway price to the company that was involved in illegal mining, the protesting leaders charged. The BJP leaders were planning to shift the venue of their dharna to the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s residence on June 16 if the government refuses to relent.
Yeddyurappa, while addressing the party men, said Jindal company had enough land with it to expand its operation in Ballari. “Why the government is so eager to give more land to the company?... How much kickback it (the government) is getting because of the decision?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy had kept himself away from people for the past one year.
“The chief minister was confined to a star hotel in Bengaluru. Only those who would give commission were allowed to meet him at the hotel. He shifted recently to his residence due to pressure,” he charged.
The party leaders also attacked the coalition government on the multi-crore IMA cheating case. They accused the government of trying to hush up the case by setting the Special Investigation Team.
“SIT has been set up only to hush up the case. Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and Congress MLA R Roshan Baig are involved in the case. They should be arrested immediately, BJP leader K S Eshwarappa said.