Bengaluru, Jan 5 (PTI) The BJP on Monday staged a protest here over the state government’s move to provide houses to those who lost their dwellings in an eviction of encroachments in Kogilu here recently.
The protest near the Country Club on Bagalur Main Road was organised under the slogan “Save Kogilu, Remove Illegal Immigrants”. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, along with other BJP MLAs, MLCs participated in the protest.
Speaking to reporters here, Senior BJP leader Ashoka said the protest was aimed at protecting Karnataka’s land, which, he asserted, belongs to the people of the state and should be distributed only to them. He alleged that the police had stopped BJP workers nearly three kilometres away from the protest site at Kogilu, calling it unfair.
Ashoka said the agitation was being held to protect Karnataka’s land. He claimed the issue had been politicised due to developments linked to Kerala politics.
Criticising the Congress leadership, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, he said, “They are using our land for political gain. Shame on the Congress party, shame on Siddaramaiah. If Congress has land, let them give their own land. Congress leaders have thousands of acres across Karnataka. Why don’t they give that? Why only our land?” Stating that Karnataka has limited land resources, Ashoka said the land belonged to the people of the state and not to any individual leader.
“If leaders like D K Shivakumar want to support this, let them give their own land–five acres or even more. Congress party land is available everywhere, in every district. This is not Siddaramaiah’s land, not D K Shivakumar’s land, not any individual’s land. This belongs to the seven crore people of Karnataka. That is why we are saying: save Karnataka land,” he added.
However, Karnataka Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh on Thursday had said only 90 families who were evicted from Faqir colony in Kogilu layout here are eligible for compensatory housing, dismissing claims that 400 would be accommodated.
The demolition of houses at Kogilu’s Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony on December 20 was carried out by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to clear encroachments for a proposed solid waste processing unit, officials said.
BJP leader C N Ashwath Narayan alleged that a large number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants had settled in Karnataka and were being extended government benefits at the cost of genuine beneficiaries. He claimed that more than 25 lakh people of Bangladeshi origin were living in the state and accused the government of failing to identify and act against them.
“Genuine applicants who applied eight or ten years ago and paid money are still waiting for houses, while illegal Bangladeshis are being allotted flats. This is nothing but appeasement politics. The law is not being upheld, and vote-bank politics is being pursued for electoral gains,” he alleged. PTI AMP ADB
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