No place for 'cowards' like Hedgewar in textbooks under Congress government: BK Hariprasad
Shivamogga: Congress MLC BK Hariprasad has stated that the Congress government will not approve the inclusion of life stories of individuals like Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the founder of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), whom he referred to as 'cowards' and 'fake freedom fighters,' in school textbooks.
Addressing reporters in Shivamogga, Hariprasad emphasized that the ideology of the Sangh Parivar, the family of Hindu nationalist organizations including the RSS, will not be allowed to influence the functioning of any government department.
Regarding Hedgewar, Hariprasad stated that there is no evidence to suggest that he was a freedom fighter. He also expressed his refusal to accord respect to individuals who he believed pretended to be freedom fighters while seeking mercy from the British. Hariprasad pointed out the recent statement by someone claiming Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, to be a freedom fighter. He highlighted the contrasting views of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar with regards to whom they consider as freedom fighters, emphasizing the Congress' respect for those who genuinely contributed to the Independence Movement.
Hariprasad further criticized the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, noting that their own books mention six instances when their leader submitted mercy petitions to the British. He demanded an explanation from the BJP and the Sangh Parivar regarding these mercy petitions. He regarded the Hedgewar issue as an election agenda that would ultimately backfire for the BJP, leading to rejection by the voters.
The MLC expressed concern about the rise in cases of moral policing in the coastal belt and declared that the Congress is prepared to confront organizations like the Bajrang Dal. He advised the BJP to focus on the welfare of the people and strive towards building a peaceful society with religious harmony, rather than exploiting the Bajrang Dal issue for political gains.
Regarding the caste census, Hariprasad mentioned that the data collected through the census will be disclosed soon, as stated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He clarified that it would be inappropriate to label it as an outdated survey and assured that any updates or changes required would be made accordingly.
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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.
