If allotted out of turn, it calls for thorough probe: JD(U) on land row linked to Kharge’s son

New Delhi: JD(U) leader and former Rajya Sabha member K.C. Tyagi said on Tuesday that if Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Rahul Kharge received land out of turn in the Aerospace Colony near Bengaluru at a subsidised rate under the SC/ST quota, the matter should be probed thoroughly.

In the backdrop of the ongoing MUDA land row in Karnataka, a fresh controversy has erupted over land allotment in the southern state with the BJP questioning granting of a Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) site to a trust run by Congress chief Kharge’s family and headed by his son Rahul Kharge.

Speaking to IANS, Tyagi said if Rahul Kharge was allotted the land illegally, the matter should be investigated thoroughly.

He added that if the land was allocated to the Congress chief’s son out of turn, it indicates corruption.

“It’s important to investigate such matters as influential people, particularly those related to the ruling party (of a state), often take advantage of such loot,” Tyagi told IANS.

The issue of land allotment to Rahul Kharge was raised by RTI activist Kalhalli, who complained to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot that the land was allotted to the Congress chief’s son in violation of the laid down rules and protocols.

On the ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’ or ‘March to Secretariat’ call given in West Bengal on Tuesday in protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Tyagi said the situation in Bengal has created distrust among the people towards the Trinamool Congress government.

“Women’s safety is under threat there, and if protests are being suppressed, it is an undemocratic move,” Tyagi said amid reports of chaotic scenes on the streets of Kolkata where the police resorted to lathi-charge and firing of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

Commenting on senior American diplomats visiting poll-bound J&K and meeting various political leaders, including National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, Tyagi said leaders from different political parties occasionally interact with foreign dignitaries.

“Unless there’s a threat to national security, I do not oppose such meetings,” he said.

–IANS