Ramanagara, 27 June

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday met with farmers at Byramangala near Bidadi, where the State government aims to set up a massive township and accused the Congress of "portraying him as a criminal".

Kumaraswamy had challenged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to a public debate on the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), for which the government recently issued a final notification for land acquisition for over 400 acres, but the Congress leader did not turn up. Kumaraswamy even placed an empty chair next to himself. 

Addressing a gathering of protesting farmers, Kumaraswamy defended his record as CM by rejecting the Congress’ charge that the Bidadi township was his “dream project” and sought to explain the concept of the "Red Zone" in town planning.

He said this was merely a planning classification under the Comprehensive Development Plan and did not authorise the government to acquire private land. 

“The Red Zone does not mean your land will be taken away,” he said. “If I had not demarcated as ‘Red Zone’, there would not have been any agriculture land here. All the land sharks would have gobbled up the entire land here.”

He added that Assembly record showed that he was against the township. 

He also alleged that the Congress’ land compensation plan would not be implemented, citing the NICE Road project.  Kumaraswamy alleged that around 4,000 families affected by the NICE project had still not received the promised developed sites decades after losing their land.