Bengaluru, September 5: “RSS and BJP have been playing with the basic objectives of our culture, history of the country and the intention of the Constitution. You might be the great sportsmen. You should not forget that the people of the county have been watching your games seriously like umpires”, said JNU Students Union former president Kanhaiya Kumar.
Speaking at the valedictory of the ‘Dissent India’ at the Freedom of Expression convention here on Wednesday, he said that the copies of the Constitution were being burnt near Jantar Mantar in Delhi and shouting slogans against Dr BR Ambedkar. For the last four and half years, the Constitution has been facing threat inside the country. “One year was passed after the murder of Gauri Lankesh. A few days ago, my friend Umar Khalid was attacked. We believed in science. How much they try to suppress us, we will bounce back in the same pace”, he added.
“Even if you attack on us, put us in jails, brand us as urban naxals and traitors and anti-Hindus, we will not go back from our objective. If we speak on unemployment, farmers, labourers, dalits, tribals and minorities, those who claim that they have brought Hindu administration, would say that Hindus are in trouble. You are telling the half truth to the people. Hindus are in trouble because, Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister of the country”, he said.
In the name of naxalism, the common people were being kept away from their real problems. Though they have clarified that they would not support any act which is anti-Constitutional, the government has put the writers behind bars branding them as urban naxals. The central government has no answers to their questions. Ever since Narendra Modi has become the Prime Minister, 12,000 farmers have committed suicide. But the insurance companies have made Rs 10,000 crore profit in the name of crop insurance schemes, he said.
Saffron colour is a symbol of courage. The colour of the clothes of Basavanna, Sambhaji Maharaj, Sahu Maharaj, Buddha, Swami Agnivesh was saffron. But you people wear saffron colour clothes and kill innocent Muslims. It was not a courageous work. It was coward work, he said.
Gujarat MLA and dalit leader Jignesh Mevani said that there was undeclared emergency in the country. Narendra Modi-led BJP government has been putting the writers and activists behind bars branding them as urban naxals. So he would fight for defeating the BJP. When the Assembly election was held in the state, there were not even a single code violation cases against the leaders of Congress, JDS and BJP. But the government had booked three cases against him and thus tried to curb the fight, he said.
“Five years have gone after killing Dabholkar in Maharashtra. Soon after the SIT traced the foot-prints of Sanatan Sanstha members in the Gauri Lankesh murder, the Maharashtra police arrested the Sanatan Sanstha members in a hurry. If the Karnataka police arrested them and brought to Karnataka, Modi and Amit Shah could not do anything here”.
-Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU students leader
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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.