K’taka: Deve Gowda opposes Bidadi township, slams Congress govt

Bengaluru, May 16 Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday declared that he would launch a fight against what he termed as a “land scam” being carried out in the name of the proposed Bidadi township by taking away farmers’ lands.

Addressing a press conference at the JDS state office, JP Bhavan in Bengaluru, the former Prime Minister alleged that the Congress government was attempting to snatch away farmers’ lands for business interests.

Deve Gowda said there was widespread anger and resistance among people against the Bidadi township project, and therefore, it should be dropped immediately.

“One person has said that he is ready to get beaten up by farmers. Let him first go and get beaten by the farmers, then I will go and speak to them,” Deve Gowda maintained indirectly, referring to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

He said some people had mocked him in the past for becoming emotional during public meetings, but now he was laughing at the present system.

Referring to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as his old colleague and friend, Deve Gowda said it pained him deeply that nobody seemed to notice what was happening.

“People now understand what Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy (Deve Gowda's son) intended to do then and what kind of scam this person is carrying out now. I will fight against it,” Deve Gowda said angrily.

He recalled that Kumaraswamy had earlier proposed five townships to reduce pressure on Bengaluru city, but Congress leaders had then launched a major campaign accusing him of trying to grab land. A “truth-finding committee” had even been formed to investigate the matter.

“What truth emerged from that committee’s report, only God knows,” he remarked sarcastically.

Deve Gowda said Kumaraswamy had eventually withdrawn the five township projects following public opposition.

Further attacking Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he said: “H.D. Kumaraswamy is serving as a Union Minister. I saw a report in which a person referred to Kumaraswamy as a jobless man and claimed that he was completing the project Kumaraswamy had earlier proposed. People now understand what Kumaraswamy had intended to do then, and the evil designs of the person who has now taken up this project. I will fight against it.”

MLC T.A. Sharavana, Greater Bengaluru JDS president H.M. Ramesh Gowda, former Magadi MLA Manjunath, and several farmers from the Bidadi region were present at the press conference.

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