Bengaluru, 22 June

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Monday challenged Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to an open debate on the proposed GBIT project near Bidadi in Bengaluru South district, and the government's land acquisition for it.

He asked the CM to come to Byramangala, where farmers have been protesting, whenever he was free.

Claiming that 80-90 per cent of local farmers remain opposed to the township project and that more than 4,000 farmers have filed objections since the government issued its preliminary notification, the Union Minister criticised the administration for allegedly failing to respond to those objections and asked: "Is this what public service means?"

"A challenge was thrown for a debate (from Shivakumar). Come, let's go to Byramangala and see whether the farmers have really consented to give up their land for the project," Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I'm free, you (Shivakumar) are running a government and will be busy until midnight 12 or 1. So I had said that whenever you make time and fix a schedule, I would come for a discussion. I'm saying the same thing even now: I'm free, and I can come any time. I never said I would not come. He (CM) is busy. I'm not as busy as he is. So amid his busy schedule, if he comes, I'm ready at any time."

"Let's go to the people at Byramangala, where women and the elderly have been sitting in protest for over 450 days. Let's discuss in front of them," he added.

However, Shivakumar, not willing to respond in detail, said, " Let JD(S) MLAs raise the issue during the upcoming Assembly session, and he would reply to them.

"I will not say anything. He (Kumaraswamy) did not come when I called (for a debate). There is an Assembly, where he can make his experienced politicians (MLAs) speak. Will respond to them... I wish them all the best," he told reporters.

Despite opposition from sections of farmers and villagers, a final notification was recently issued for the acquisition of 499 acres across three villages in Ramanagara and Harohalli taluks for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township, one of Shivakumar's ambitious projects, projected as India's "first AI-powered integrated township".

The project is expected to cover a total of 7,481 acres across nine villages in the region, sources said, adding that the notification issued recently is likely to be the first in a series of land acquisition notifications expected in the coming days.

Alleging that the project-related work is not happening at the government offices but at a rented house at Nagarbhavi in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said the transactions are happening with some mafia elements around.

"The project-related work is not happening at the DC office... Be prepared for how many of you will have to go to jail. I know things very well," he said.

Accusing the government of acting as a broker for real-estate interests by attempting to take away fertile agricultural land from innocent farmers and hand it over to land developers, the union minister said many leaders who now support the project, including the Chief Minister, had strongly opposed it in the Assembly earlier.

"Shivakumar, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had all vehemently opposed the Bidadi project in the past. Those who once opposed it loudly are now supporting it, which is a clear contradiction," he said, questioning Kharge and Siddaramaiah's silence.

Acknowledging that he was the architect of the proposal to develop five townships, including Bidadi, when he was CM, to reduce pressure on Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said, "I never intended to take farmers' land and hand it over to real-estate developers. When farmers opposed the project, I abandoned it without hesitation."

He claimed that even today, 80–90 per cent of farmers oppose the project and questioned why the Chief Minister cannot drop it.

Recalling that the Congress leaders strongly opposed the project, citing concerns about farmers, fertile agricultural land, forests, and trees, when he first proposed it, the JD(S) leader said the national party even formed a fact-finding committee led by senior HK Patil, which visited Bidadi, Solur, Kasaba, Hosakote, and other places to investigate the issue.

Referring to Shivakumar's statement in the Assembly on August 1, 2007, where he had allegedly criticised the proposed project, he wondered how the same leader who once spoke passionately about protecting fertile agricultural land and farmers is now pursuing the project.

According to him, based on information received, during the upcoming expansion of Shivakumar's cabinet, it has been decided that 5 percent of the vacant berths will be "government seats"—he is unsure if these will be filled based on merit or service to the party—while the remaining 95 per cent are all "management seats," which are "vasooli (collection) seats" or "payment quota".

Noting that such discussions are ongoing in the Congress party, he said, "Someone told me during cabinet expansion, 5 per cent is government quota, and the remaining 95 per cent is management quota. What does that mean? I, too, did not understand when I heard. Such management and government quotas are seen in medical and engineering seats. But here it seems that there is a government and management seat demarcation even to join the cabinet. Where will donations given for management seats go?"