A significant controversy has erupted over the allocation of a civic amenities (CA) plot to Rahul Kharge, the son of All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjuna Kharge, under the Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation scheme by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) near Bengaluru. The opposition has expressed outrage, claiming that the allocation is a blatant misuse of power, especially given that millions of economically disadvantaged people in the state struggle to access such benefits.
The uproar centres around the allotment of five acres of prime land to the Siddhartha Vihara Education Trust, which is closely associated with the Kharge family. The land, located in a sought-after industrial area, was ostensibly earmarked for SC welfare but has been allocated to a trust that critics argue serves the interests of a wealthy and politically powerful family rather than the broader Dalit community.
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, has been particularly vocal, accusing Minister Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjuna Kharge, of abusing his ministerial powers to secure the land for the family-run trust. Narayanaswamy announced plans to submit a formal complaint to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, demanding that Priyank Kharge be removed from the cabinet and that the land be returned to the government.
At a press conference in Bangalore, Narayanaswamy pointed out that the Siddhartha Vihara Education Trust, despite its grandiose name, is limited to one household—the Kharge family. The trust, registered in Kalaburagi, lists members of the Kharge family, including Priyank Kharge and Radhakrishna, as its key trustees. “The trust is a guise for one family’s benefit. The land allocation is not just an injustice to Dalits but an abuse of the very system designed to uplift marginalised communities,” Narayanaswamy asserted.
He further questioned the ethics of granting such a significant land parcel to a single family under the SC reservation scheme, which is intended to benefit a broader demographic. “This is reminiscent of the MUDA scandal, where land meant for public use was misappropriated for private gain. The Kharge family is not the sole representative of the Scheduled Caste community, and this blatant favoritism raises serious concerns about the misuse of power,” Narayanaswamy added.
The controversy has also drawn criticism from former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who accused the Congress government of using religious and social institutions as fronts for business ventures. “The Siddhartha Vihara Trust was supposedly established to build a Buddha Vihara, a religious institution. However, it is now being used to run businesses and set up factories,” Kumaraswamy alleged.
Kumaraswamy also called out the alleged nepotism in the Kharge family, pointing to the involvement of multiple family members in the trust, including Mallikarjuna Kharge, his wife, son Rahul Kharge, and other relatives. He argued that this case exemplifies the Congress party’s long-standing tradition of nepotism and misuse of public resources for personal gain.
The issue has sparked a broader debate about the integrity of the SC reservation system, with critics arguing that it is being exploited by the very elites it was designed to challenge. “How can a minister, already in a position of power, benefit from a system meant to uplift the underprivileged? This is a betrayal of Dr. Ambedkar’s vision,” Kumaraswamy stated, urging immediate legal action against the Kharge family and restoring the land to the public domain.
The scandal has also reignited questions about the role of religious leaders in politics. Narayanaswamy criticised Swamijis and other religious figures for defending those implicated in corruption rather than standing up for the oppressed. “Where is the justice for the Dalit community? Swamijis should be questioning the government, not protecting those who exploit their own people,” he said.
As the controversy unfolds, all eyes are on the Governor’s office to see how it will respond to the formal complaint and whether the state government will take action against Priyank Kharge. The opposition is adamant that this case represents a serious breach of public trust and a misuse of the SC reservation scheme. It is another example of the deep-rooted corruption and nepotism plaguing Karnataka’s political landscape.
