Congress criticizes BJP for ignoring land encroachment claims

Mysuru: The Congress party criticized the BJP for not reacting to accusations against Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy regarding land encroachment. KPCC spokesperson M Lakshmana stated that Congress will not demand Kumaraswamy's resignation, saying it is up to him to assess his moral standing. Lakshmana pointed out that both the BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) have been unusually quiet about the encroachment of 14 acres of government land in Ramanagara district. He recalled that these parties previously raised concerns about plots allocated to the chief minister's wife. He highlighted that there are official documents showing Kumaraswamy’s family unlawfully occupied government land. A complaint about this was filed with the Lokayukta back in 2002, and although an investigation was completed in 2009, the BJP government did not act to recover the land. Activist SR Hiremath has taken legal action in the high court, which confirmed the encroachment. Lakshmana mentioned that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has requested the governor's permission three times to move against Kumaraswamy but has not received approval. He also urged Kannada activist Vatal Nagaraj to cancel a planned bandh on Saturday, saying it would disrupt SSLC students.