'Friends of BJP' approached me to join party, I politely rejected: KCR's daughter Kavitha
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter and TRS MLC K Kavitha on Friday said some friends of BJP have approached her to join the party, but she refused the "offer".
Speaking at a press conference, she hit out at Nizamabad BJP Lok Sabha member Dharmapuri Arvind refuting his reported comments that Kavitha had made a phone call to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
"I am a decent politician. I want to remain in this country in politics for a very long time. I am not going to name anybody. There have been proposals that were brought to me and friends of BJP, friendly organisations of BJP asking me to join the party and the proposed model called 'Shinde model'," Kavitha said replying to a query on media reports suggesting that she was approached by BJP inviting her into the party.
The 'Shinde model' apparently refers to the recent change in government in neighbouring Maharashtra where the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition fell after a faction of the Shiv Sena led by its leader Eknath Shinde withdrew support and joined hands with the BJP. Shinde is now the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Kavitha further said Telangana people do not "cheat and betray" their own parties and their own leaders.
"We will become leaders on our own strength, not by backdoor. I have rejected their proposal very politely... the proposals that were brought to me, I have categorically rejected them because my heart is in a party where my leader is honourable KCR garu," she said.
Replying to a question on her name being dragged by BJP leaders, the TRS leader said if central probe agencies come, she can prove they are wrong.
Coming down heavily on Arvind, the MLC said if the BJP leader does not stop spreading lies, then people will teach him a lesson and there would be severe consequences.
Kavitha said that in her political career, she has never criticised anyone personally and it always has been so on several issues.
Asking the MP to stop spewing false propaganda against her, Kavitha said if he does not do so, he will be "hit with chappals" in Nizamabad.
Meanwhile, TV visuals suggested that some unknown persons ransacked the residence of BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind in the city.
Reacting to the incident, Arvind alleged that some women staff in his residence was attacked and his mother also threatened by the persons.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
