B’luru demolition row: BJP delegation visits site; R. Ashoka alleges Cong govt creating ‘mini B’desh’
Bengaluru: A Karnataka BJP delegation headed by Leaders of the Opposition R. Ashoka (Assembly) and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy (Council) on Wednesday visited the demolition site at Kogilu Layout in Bengaluru, which has triggered a major controversy after the Congress-led government announced rehabilitation for encroachers following the intervention of the AICC.
The delegation visited the site along with officials attached to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and other departments. Ashoka questioned locals who claimed they had been residing at the site for 20 to 30 years. He cited images provided by authorities showing the land vacant a year ago and challenged their claims.
Speaking to the media after the visit to Kogilu Layout in Yelahanka, where people living illegally on encroached land were evicted, Ashoka alleged that Karnataka had turned into a hub for “mini Bangladesh” since the Congress-led government came to power.
Ashoka alleged that the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was a “deceptive government” and accused it of creating “mini Bangladeshs” in Karnataka after misleading Kannadigas for years.
“Who are these people and where have they come from?” he asked. “According to Google Maps, there were no houses here a year ago, but now houses have come up. None of them have even been here for six months. How were electricity connections given to them?” he questioned.
He claimed that nearly four lakh people in the State were living without electricity because their houses were unauthorised. “While taxpayers of our State are living without electricity, these people are using power through expensive cable connections. Are they relatives of Siddaramaiah?” he asked.
Ashoka further alleged that the occupants were said to have come from Penugonda in Andhra Pradesh. “They say some of them are 28 years old and have been living here for 25–26 years. If that is the case, how did they walk here when they were two years old?” he asked.
He claimed the land was worth around Rs 600 crore and questioned under which law the government proposed to allot it.
“Around 13,000 houses have collapsed due to floods in the State, but farmers have still not been given houses. Roofing sheets of 2,400 schools have been blown away, forcing children to study under trees. Without addressing these issues, houses are being allotted to these people in multi-storey buildings within just two days,” he alleged.
“They are giving New Year gifts to Bangladeshis. What are you giving Kannadigas?” he asked, further alleging that such locations had turned into crime hubs.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy alleged that after a tweet by AICC General Secretary and Congress MP K.C. Venugopal and the visit of MPs from Kerala, the State government took a sudden U-turn.
He accused State ministers of personally relocating Bangladeshis from the site and demanded that the case be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for verification of documents.
“About 38 lakh people in the state have applied for houses and are waiting. In Bengaluru alone, illegal houses have been cleared at 40 locations, but not a single person has been given a house. Why this special treatment?” he asked.
Former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP MLA C.N. Ashwath Narayan alleged that the issue posed a threat to the security of the country, Karnataka and Bengaluru, and accused the government of attempting to cover it up.
He demanded identification and deportation of illegal immigrants at the earliest.
BJP State General Secretary H.C. Thammesh Gowda, Bengaluru North district president S. Harish and other party leaders were present.