New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) Union Minister for Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday criticised the Karnataka government over the alleged allotment of civic amenity (CA) sites meant for public infrastructure to Congress party offices, questioning whether such land was the “ancestral property” of the Congress.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Joshi alleged that more than 24 civic amenity sites had been allotted at concessional rates for the construction of Congress offices. He termed the move improper and accused the Congress-led state government of misusing public resources.
He said the land, valued at crores of rupees and intended for public purposes such as parks, libraries and hospitals, had instead been allocated for “Congress Bhavans”, which he described as a betrayal of public interest.
Joshi further alleged that while the government claims there is insufficient land available for housing the poor, it is simultaneously allotting public land for party offices.
Accusing the Congress of treating public property as its own asset, he questioned the rationale behind the allotments and demanded that they be reviewed.
He also called for the alleged allotments to be revoked and warned that the BJP would launch protests if corrective action was not taken.
The Karnataka BJP has alleged that the state government allotted 31 plots meant for civic use for party purposes and claimed that this amounted to misuse of public land. The party has released documents in support of its allegations and demanded that the allotments be cancelled.
Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy also criticised the move, stating that public land should not be allotted for political party offices at various administrative levels, including taluk and district levels.
The Karnataka government has not yet issued an official response to the allegations.
–IANS
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