Congress brass obsessed with land-grab, must quit: BJP

NEW DELHI: Encouraged by the decision of the family of Mallikarjun Kharge to return five acres of state-owned land in Bengaluru allotted to it, BJP on Monday went on the offensive against the Congress chief by demanding his resignation, while also alleging that the controversial deal is yet another confirmation of the obsession of politicians of the opposition party with land-grab .

"From land donations that Gandhian leader Vinobha Bhave campaigned for to land grabbing... that has been Congress's trajectory," said BJP spokesperson Sudhansu Trivedi Monday while stressing that the decision of the Kharges was forced by a campaign launched by BJP which has filed a complaint with the Lokayukta .

Talking to reporters here, Trivedi noted that the return of land by the Kharges follows a similar decision taken by Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah 's wife to return plots she had received from Mysuru Urban Development Authority. "Congress's first family is involved in the National Herald scam which was essentially taking control of land and buildings allotted in different cities to the newspaper, the family's son-in-law is engaged in dubious land deals, and the party president and the CM and deputy CM (D K Shivakumar) grabbed state-owned lands," he said.

Trivedi said that because of their own involvement in land scams, Congress leadership lacks the moral authority to take action against party netas who are encouraged by their example and are also grabbing public land. "As a result, the opposition party has been reduced to a real estate firm, a group of property dealers," he added.