DK Shivakumar invites HD Kumaraswamy for June 26 talks on Bidadi township project

Bengaluru: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has invited Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy for a discussion on the contentious Bidadi township project on June 26 at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

In a social media post on Monday, Shivakumar said he was prepared for a comprehensive discussion on the project and invited Kumaraswamy to attend along with a team of five representatives.

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The Chief Minister said records, government decisions and factual details showed that Kumaraswamy himself had initiated the township project during his tenure as CM before.

The invitation comes amid plans by the JD(S) to challenge the project before the High Court.

The regional party has been campaigning against the project since the government issued a notification to acquire agricultural land around Bidadi, alleging that the initiative is aimed at promoting real estate interests.

Kumaraswamy, who is also the JD(S) state president, recently objected to suggestions that the affected landowners were not genuine farmers, describing such remarks as an insult to the farming community.

Questioning the timing of the final notification, he noted that farmers had been protesting the project for more than 470 days. He alleged that the land identified for acquisition comprises fertile agricultural holdings and claimed that the township proposal is intended to facilitate large-scale real estate development.

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The former Chief Minister also alleged that protesting farmers have been subjected to intimidation, including the filing of police cases, while the government has denied such charges.

Recalling his tenure as Chief Minister, Kumaraswamy said he had proposed five townships across Karnataka in 2006, including one at Bidadi, but later dropped the plan following opposition from farmers.

He accused the present government of reviving the project to serve private interests rather than public welfare.